Dry house in winter indicates outside air leakage
Q: Why is my house so dry in winter? What can I do about it? Relative humidity levels are usually 22% to 29%. We’re drying up like prunes.
A: The drier your house becomes in winter, the more it indicates outside air leakage into your home. This is why raising relative humidity levels can happen in several ways: either reduce air leakage, add more moisture to the air inside with a humidifier, or both. The main thing to understand is that winter humidity levels in Canadian homes is usually about attempting to satisfy two opposing conditions. On the one hand a comfortable relative humidity might be around 60%, but levels of moisture that high would typically trigger excess condensation on windows during cold weather. Satisfying both your windows and your skin usually requires something around 35% to 45% relative humidity.
Building on bedrock
Q: How can I build a home foundation on bedrock? I really like the idea and simplicity of cutting foam concrete forms to follow the bedrock, but my building inspector is unfamiliar with this and wants some engineered drawings.
A: The issue isn’t all that complicated. As with any foundation on bedrock, it’s wise to pin the concrete to the rock with rebar set into epoxy in holes. The only question then becomes the spacing of this rebar and rebar size. I’m a big fan of fibreglass rebar since it can’t rust. I don’t use bare steel rebar any more since I’m concerned about rusting and the destruction of concrete that it can lead to. A civil engineer can produce the stamped drawings your inspector wants.
Planning off-grid energy
Q: How can we plan an off-grid energy system for the cottage? We’re aiming to use the system for lights, a water pump, for some plug-in power tools, and to recharge cordless tool batteries.
A: The first step is to determine the peak wattage of power you’ll need, then how much energy storage you’d like to have. With these figures in mind you can buy an inverter that’s large enough to handle the peak load, and batteries to keep you going. You’ll also need to decide if you’ll go with solar, wind or both. This combination delivers the most consistent power production.
Is portability important for your system? I’ve taught many people to build their own portable solar generator (baileylineroad.com/solar-windoff-grid-community3/) that can handle basic needs, and you can move something like this around from your cottage to your main home as needed. Even in the city, it’s handy to have an unlimited supply of basic power for charging and lighting.
Deck disaster
Q: What can I do about a deck finishing disaster? The people who did the work didn’t know what they were doing and the deck looks terrible. But my main concern is that I’ve learned the product they used is toxic and I’m afraid for my dog.
A: Almost all wood finishing products in the world are considered toxic when wet and ingested, but I’ve never heard about any issues after deck finishes are dry. Also, the term “toxic” is not black and white. Even pure, spring water is toxic if ingested in large enough quantities. So no, there’s no danger to your dog from the dried stain.
Sanding the deck back to bare wood with an 80-grit abrasive is the best way to proceed. The simplest option is to either leave your deck bare, or apply a one-time wood treatment that I particularly like. It’s called Eco Wood Treatment and it makes bare wood uniformly gray in colour. This product is completely non-toxic (even when wet), and creates a nice, even, weathered look. You can see Eco Wood in action on a shed of mine at baileylineroad.com/eco-woodtreatment-video.
Visit Steve online at BaileyLineRoad.com for articles and videos about home improvement, woodworking and hands-on living.