What’s the maximum length of insulated duct I can install with my new heat recovery ventilator (HRV)? Is 18 feet too long? I’ve never seen figures for the maximum length of insulated flex pipe you can use with an HRV,…
How can I eliminate window condensation in a multi-story condominium unit? We’ve been experiencing lots of condensation for the seven years we’ve lived in the building. Window replacement isn’t an option since they’re considered common elements in this building. Judging…
Question: We’ve just gone to a lot of trouble and expense installing drainage tiles around our basement, but we’re concerned it might not stop dampness and white, fuzzy efflorescence coming up through the concrete floor. We’re planning to finish the…
Question: Can leaks in a radiant infloor heating system be fixed? The system was installed about 35 years ago by my husband and includes 1-inch diameter black plastic pipe set into the concrete floor. A leak has appeared near one…
Question: I just bought a 25-year-old house and the humidity is very high in the basement — regularly over 80%. It’s cold down there and our feet freeze when we go downstairs, even if the weather’s hot. There are small…
How can I insulate the double-brick walls of my 100-year-old home? One contractor says he can drill holes in the plaster and blow insulation into the space between the bricks. Another contractor says this isn’t possible. Who’s right? Home heating…
What kind of flooring can I install in our unheated, 140-year-old cottage? The floors are currently covered in very old rolled flooring on top of wide cedar boards. We considered using rolled flooring again, but we don’t want the curling…
How should I insulate a 10 x 14-foot basement space for a wine cellar I’m building? Three walls face soil and a rec room is outside the fourth. All walls are currently insulated. The door is hollow wood and I’m…
Steve Maxwell outlines 3 important things to keep in mind when choosing and using a generator.
Suggestions from Steve Maxwell on how to achieve a constant temperature in a wine cellar with properly insulated walls.
Steve Maxwell, Canada’s Handiest Man, takes apart a Saniflo macerating toilet to see exactly how it works.
Steve Maxwell, Canada’s Handiest Man, shows how 3M’s Painter’s Tape solves the 3 main problems with masking tape when used for painting or staining projects.