Attic Rain

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…

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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…

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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…)

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