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Parts of my home are cooler than others. I have vents in every room but they do not all preform equally well. How can I direct the heat to where I need it most while not overheating other rooms?
There is a science to the duct work in a furnace distribution system. For instance, if you vent a duct off the end of a plenum you will get more heat than taking the same vent off the side of the same plenum line. This is usually not something you have control over so...
I noticed my bathroom vent is venting into the attic space. I was told this is not good can you explain?
Adding warm moist air into a cold attic is not a good idea as the change in temperature causes the air to condense when it reaches its dew point. This condensation can accumulate on surfaces and cause rot or enough moisture to form running water that will run onto the...
I have frost in my attic, what causes this and how can I fix it?
Frost development in an attic is the result of heat that is moving up through the insulation into the cold attic. More often than not you may find that the heat is coming from a vent that is pumping warm moist air into the attic. On extremely cold days or days of vast...
There is a switch above my thermostat in the hall. I was told this is for a principle house fan. Can you explain when I should use this fan?
The principle air fan or whole house fan is an inexpensive air exchanger. Most of the time this fan is located near the furnace but pulls air out of the home from a central location in the upper level of the home. Here is the premise of how it works. When you have...
I was up in my attic recently and noticed I have about 6″ of insulation. Is this adequate for our climate?
The standard depth of insulation varies depending upon the type of insulation. If your attic has spray foam for instance it may only be 3.5” and have same R-Value as an attic with 14” of blown in fiberglass. My recommendation is to check to see what the R-value per...
I need to install a Vent fan through my attic and roof. I have been told I should create a trap in the vent line to collect water from condensation. Is this the best approach in our cold climate?
I see this approach a lot in Lloydminster homes. I am not sure if only one or two contractors do this or if several contractors do it. My belief is that this approach is not a good idea as the trap will work to collect moisture but it will also freeze solid and block...
Once in a while I have leaks around my kitchen range hood. I am wondering if my shingles are leaking?
Leaking around any vent is usually due to frost formation and thawing. Without proper insulation the venting system will frost up when the warm moist air enters the cold attic space. On a warm day this frost will melt inside the vent line and run back down into the...
Sometimes I smell sewer and it seems that the drains are slower. What might be causing this?
It is not often that you will smell sewer in your home in the city. I have however come across a couple situations where conventional thinking did not find the source of the smell. My normal procedure is to check the traps in the basement floors as it is likely they...
I was recently up in my attic and found an old type of wiring I have never seen before. There are glass pieces the wires are threaded through and the wires look smaller then wires we use today. What type of wiring is this and is it safe?
You are looking at an old type of wire called knob and tube. I could be wrong but I don’t believe there are any regulations that say it must be replaced. Having said that I can say insurance companies do not like it as it is a higher risk for fire then our newer lumex...
I smell burnt wires sometimes in the area of the panel. What would cause a wire to get hot and smell?
If you small hot burning wires you likely either have a loose connection or a load on a breaker that is not tripping when it should. Another common problem is over amping a wire by putting a light duty wire on a heavy duty breaker. For instance a 14 gauge wire is...
I just bought a house and the insurance company wants me to upgrade the panel to 100 amps. Can you explain this to me?
The electrical panel is the first point of entry for electricity into the home. Most panels have a main breaker that is designed to trip if the home uses too much power at any one time. Most panels today are 100 amp because they must feed a lot of different sources of...
Our electrical service mast is pulling away from the house. What do you suggest?
First of all whenever you are dealing with high voltage you should contact the power utility and an electrical contractor. There are just those jobs that are not well suited to the do-it-yourselfer. The problem with this type of repair is that it must be done live...
I live in a 1950’s home with old double hung windows. The windows are painted shut and a few are broken. We have saved and are ready to upgrade the windows but are not sure of the best approach. We have lathe and plaster inside and stucco on the outside.
I have replaced windows like the ones you have described. I wish I had understood the difficulty of the job before I started. Here is my advice to save you time and money. As you describe the wall components I know how fragile they are and how difficult it is to...
I bought an older home built in the late 80’s. The windows are all operable but they are the wooden style. I am considering replacing them with newer vinyl windows, would you advise this?
Here is how I usually advise my clients. If the old wooden casements are in good condition that is they open and close properly and are not broken or rotten, I say they should be fine for a while longer. Most people think the new vinyl window is going to save them...
I have a certified wood stove but I can’t get enough clearance to the wall. Can you explain a little about shielding the wall to reduce the clearances?
There is a provision in the B365 part of the code for reducing clearances on wood stoves. This provision is called shielding. To comply, a wood stove must meet certain clearances from the closest walls. If the label says the stove needs 15” of open space behind it and...
I have an older home that has a dug out basement. Are there any special precautions I need to know about to prevent problems with this type of basement?
Most of the dugout style basements I come across have a perimeter type footing that holds the home up and an inside half wall that holds the dirt back in the basement. Much of the time the inside half wall is leaning inwards due to the pressure of the soil. On several...
I have a lot of ice on my concrete walk way in the spring. Is there a type of ice melt you recommend?
The best approach to removing ice on the walk is to never let it get there in the first place. If you have a downspout that drains onto the walk you should redirect the water overhead so it drains on the grass on the far side of the walk. Put a post in the ground and...
What is the best and cheapest way I can protect my basement from moisture intrusion?
Regardless of the type and style of basement you have you need to do two things to help control water around your home. First make sure you have a positive slope away from your home. Preferably use clay to create a slope and then cover it with top soil. The slope...
My insurance company wants me to get a WETT inspection on my wood stove. Is there a way I can tell if my stove is certified?
I have inspected close to a thousand wood stoves and fireplaces and installed half that many. Here is what I ask potential customers to check. First of all if the stove has a label, take a picture of it. The same is true of the chimney. I generally can tell from...
I have had a wood stove for twenty years in my old home. I recently moved and the new home has a wood stove as well. I am concerned about the type of chimney and how it is installed. How can I determine if the chimney is rated for a wood stove?
The best way to tell if the chimney is the right type is to look for a label. Usually the installer will buy a package with the stove and matching chimney. The stove label may state which chimney is recommend but not always. The chimney for a wood stove must be rated...
I live in an old house which I have fixed up a lot. I find it very drafty and can even see frost lines around the old windows where the wind blows in. Will changing the windows fix the problem?
It sounds like you may have a pressure problem. That is to say you have a lower air pressure inside the house then on the outside. One common problem I come across is a lack of fresh air in the furnace room. Sometimes people install a new furnace without introducing...
I have a wood stove in my basement that is hard to get lit without smoking us out of the home. Can you explain why it smokes in the house and how I can prevent this?
Wood stoves and chimneys can often smoke because of draft problems. Draft problems are usually related to how the chimney is designed, if it is located primarily outside it is usually cold and provides no natural draft. When you open the door on the stove cold air...
I have an older fireplace that is very drafty. I rarely use it but I like to have a fire during the holidays. Can you suggest some approaches to reducing the drafts?
It depends upon where the drafts are coming from but in most cases the cold is coming down the chimney. There is a draft control on the front of the fireplace that opens and closes a flap in the chimney. Make sure this door is closed. If there is a lot of cold air...
I need to replace the lights in my bathroom. Are there any types of lights that you would not use?
A common problem in bathroom lighting is using too big of lights in fixtures and placing these lights too close to the ceiling. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen the paint burnt and blistered on the ceiling above a bank of lights over a mirror. Using the...
The linoleum near my patio doors is curling. I have tried to caulk it back down but it just happens again. How do I fix this?
Many patio doors are installed with a slanted threshold to move the water out away from the door. The problem is when there is a wind some of that moisture is driven in under the threshold where it comes into contact with the edge of the lino. When the linoleum gets...
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