It’s winter, stains are showing up on your ceiling, water is dripping in around the bathroom fans and pooling in the light fixtures. What’s the problem? “Attic Rain” Yes, it’s raining in your attic. Moisture from the warm living area has migrated into the attic and condensed on the cold roof deck as frost. This happens during a cold spell and as the weather warms up, the frost melts raining down onto the insulation and seeps through breaches in the vapour barrier. The result is unsightly water damaged drywall and worse, it can lead to mold. What’s the cause? The most…
Backwater Valve
I have a sewer backup! I have a backwater valve. How can that be? Required since 1988 in Edmonton, homes require a backwater valve to protect against sewer backup. The earlier valves were use to protect the basement bathroom only, but starting in the early 2000’s mainline backwater valves have become the preferred choice. As the name suggests, installed on the main sewer line, this valve protects the entire house against sewer backup. If you understand how they work, the problem is obvious but often overlooked by unsuspecting homeowners. A backwater valve is box about the size of…
Indoor Air Quality
CLEAN THIS IMPORTANT DEVICE YEARLY AND IMPROVE YOUR INDOOR AIR QUALITY Edmonton area homes have this important device, but 90% of them are not working…and the fix is simple. Have you noticed excessive moisture on your windows, mold growth or difficulty removing odours from inside your house… Read on. Since the 1960’s builders have been installing a fresh air intake for improved indoor air quality. A device that allows fresh air to be drawn from outside and mixes it with inside air whenever the furnace is operating. This is important for the health of you and your family . However,…
Hose bibb catastrophy
The unsuspecting early cold spell we had in Edmonton this past Fall caught many homeowners by surprise. As a result, many garden hoses were not removed from the hose bib before the temperature dropped below zero. This may not appear to be a problem now but could be catastrophic in the spring. (more…)