Ventilation

Question: I am having a problem with moisture in my attic. My kitchen stove fan vents thru the roof. I get quite a bit of frost around the piping in the attic. I wrapped insulation around the piping and taped it with duct tape. I also put a turbine vent above this same area. I still get some … [Read more...] about Insulating Exhaust Fan Duct

Question: I'm currently in the middle of renovating the crawlspace in my home by insulating and heating it. I'm planning on using rigid foam for the floor but I'm confused as to where the vapour barrier should be for this type of application. The Owens Corning website says to “install moisture … [Read more...] about Insulating Crawlspace Floor

Question: My husband and I read your column in the homes section of the Free Press every Sunday, and often compare what we have and have done to our house with your advice. My question relates to home insulation, specifically basement insulation. We live in a 750 square foot bungalow in Old … [Read more...] about Insulating Basement

Question: Our cottage in Gimli is over fifty years old and has had a couple of renovations in which the outside walls were insulated. I would like to completely insulate the cottage by doing the floor and ceiling. Do we need to install a vapour barrier next to the floorboards as well as insulate … [Read more...] about Insulate Cottage Crawlspace 2

Question: Our cottage in Gimli is over fifty years old and has had a couple of renovations in which the outside walls were insulated. I would like to completely insulate the cottage by doing the floor and ceiling. Do we need to install a vapour barrier next to the floorboards as well as insulate … [Read more...] about Insulate Cottage Crawlspace

Question: Hi Ari. We read your article this morning and my wife suggested you might have some suggestions for our ice-dam problem. We've lived in our house for 22 years and we've never had this problem before. However, two weeks ago some stains appeared on the sloping wall of the closet in … [Read more...] about Ice Damming

Question: Good Morning. Can you please tell me how an air exchanger works with respect to lowering the humidity in a home?  What are they usually priced at? I enjoy your column. Thanks in advance. Answer: It is my guess that the respondent above is referring to a Heat Recovery … [Read more...] about HRV Operation

Question: Today we have two questions about a common problem that many homeowners, in older homes, may be currently experiencing. They are almost identical in nature and will be answered together. My mother in law lives in an older home of about 70 years. It has a gable roof with a 12-inch … [Read more...] about Frost in Attic

Question: Today we have two unrelated, but rather short questions. They will both be answered independently. Will spray-on foam insulation adhere to plastic sheeting? I read your articles every Sunday and would appreciate instructions on a proper way for teleposts adjustments. I plan on … [Read more...] about Foam Insulation & Teleposts

Question: We would like to know if we can install pink fibreglass batts in our attic over existing blown-in cellulose. We were told that the weight of the batts would reduce the insulating value of the cellulose as it would compress it and reduce the air pockets. The value of the existing … [Read more...] about Fibreglass Over Cellulose In Attic