2 weeks Ago By Steve Maxwell
Share this Story : Houseworks: Addressing little home fix-ups Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links Life Homes Houseworks: Addressing little home fix-ups Author of the article: Steve Maxwell Published Dec 10, 2024 • 3 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account. This two-part, Canadian-made exterior wood filler is part of an effective system made especially for repairing wood rot.
Photo by Photo Steve Maxwell Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Article content Q What can I do to stop my automatic outdoor entrance lights from coming on by themselves, with no one around? We had both fixtures and bulbs changed by an electrician, but the problem persists.
Article content Article content A A number of years ago I noticed the outside lights at my neighbour’s place. Sometimes (not always), the light would come on for a while, then go off, then come on again for no reason. This happened whether or not these people were home, and when no one was at their door.
I eventually figured it out. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
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Activate your Online Access Now Article content On windy nights the light would come on, but not on calm nights. When foliage moves in the wind, it can trigger automatic lights to come on. Do your lights come on most often when it’s windy? The automatic fixtures I’ve seen generally have a sensitivity setting you can adjust somewhere on the fixture.
I’d look closely for that, and see if turning the sensitivity down solves the problem. If not, and if the problem is most pronounced when it’s windy, I’d try incrementally cutting back some foliage to see if that helps. My guess is that foliage is the issue, especially given that you’ve changed the fixture and bulb.
———— Restoring a cedar garage door Q What can I do to restore my cedar garage door? Water seeps in under the finish where one hinged panel meets another. This has caused peeling, discolouration and actual rot of the wood along panel edges. A From your photos it looks like water is being trapped and held along the edges of your garage door panels.
Water is getting in under the finish as the water sits there, getting under the finish and causing issues. The solution to your problem has two parts. Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content First, you’ll need to sand back to bare wood in the areas where the finish has failed. Your door currently has a transparent finish, which looks great, but this also means you’ll need to sand enough to remove the grey discolouration. The second step will be to fill those areas of rot.
This is specialized work and you need to use something more than just exterior wood filler. The best I know of is from a Canadian company called Rhino Wood Repair. It’s an epoxy-based system, but also includes a treatment to kill rot-causing organisms.
Begin by removing the loosest bits of rotten wood, then follow the instructions for treating the wood, consolidating the remaining weakened wood, then filling, shaping and sanding. All this will work quite well, except for one thing: The patched areas will look different from the surrounding wood, and this may not be great if you coat the door again with a transparent finish. You may need to go with paint or some kind of solid exterior stain.
———— A heat recovery ventilator (HRV) is the most effective option for improving indoor air quality. Canada is a leader in this technology, in part because out homes are closed tight for so much of the year. Photo by Photo Steve Maxwell Choosing an HRV Q Can you help me choose a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) for my home in southern Ontario? Our place is 2,000 square feet, but don’t know anything about brands or types.
Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content A You’re wise to consider an HRV because it’s the most effective way to boost indoor air quality. I installed one in my own house back in the early 1990s, then replaced it 15 years ago.
Our first unit was made by a Canadian company called VanEE, and the one we have now is a Lifebreath (also Canadian). Both are top brands, and both will work well for you. Call both companies, explain your situation, then they can recommend some models.
One thing to ask about is efficiency. HRVs work by drawing fresh, outdoor air into your home, expelling stale indoor air outside, but also reclaiming most of the heat invested in that stale air. The efficiency of this heat reclamation action is what you should pay attention to.
Cheaper models have one heat exchanger to do this job, but more efficient models use two exchangers for greater energy reclamation. Steve Maxwell considers an HRV essential health equipment in any kind of tight, modern house. Visit him online at baileylineroad.
com and join 31,000 people who get his twice-weekly email home improvement newsletter. Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Houseworks: Addressing little home fix-ups Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Comments You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments. Create an Account Sign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion.
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