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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1999-10-20, Page 26PAGE 26. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1999. JTome Improvement Letting attic breathe stops winter problems While people know it’s important to seal drafts in the living area of their home for winter comfort, many don't know it’s just as important to keep their attic breathing freely to keep the home warm. A poorly ventilated attic can create numerous wintertime problems that can reduce the effectiveness of insulation, cause roof damage, and create rotting in roof trusses and other timbers. Good attic ventilation is as important as enough insulation. Although winter may seem cold and dry, unseen moisture constantly is escaping from your home’s living spaces. This moisture can condense in your attic insulation, reducing the ability of the insulation to keep heat in the home, where it belongs. Venting the moist air out of the attic keeps the insulation dry and the home warm. If an attic is not properly vented, heat escaping from the home is trapped and can increase the air temperature in the attic to begin melting snow on the roof. This melting snow will refreeze again when it reaches the eaves, causing ice dams. These ice dams, if severe enough, may cause this melting snow to back up under the shingles. Many times, so much water backs up that it drips through the roof deck into the attic insulation. Enough moisture buildup in the insulation eventually will damage interior ceiling and wall surfaces. In addition, moisture from condensation and ice dams can accelerate damage to the structural wood materials in the roof and walls. Improving your attic ventilation is as easy as I-2-3. 1. Install continuous ridge venting along the roof peak. This is where the hot air is exhausted from the attic. The ridge vent should be durable and weather-resistant. If it's impractical to install ridge vents, several traditional roof vents (roof louvers) should be installed as near to the ridge as possible. 2. Install continuous soffit- ventilation strips under the eaves. These soffit vents allow fresh, cooler air to enter the attic. Because air will be drawn into the vents, make sure they have a fine mesh screen to prevent insects from entering. Soffit vents should be made of aluminum or plastic to prevent rusting. 3. From inside the attic, install attic-ventilation channels between the rafters to maintain an unobstructed air channel over the insulation. Without these ventilation channels, a good flow of air up and out the ridge vent won’t occur. These vents also prevent windblown insulation from plugging or blocking the air flow from the soffits. Ventilation channels traditionally have been made of cardboard or foam, but are being replaced by more durable and easily installed rigid plastic products. Improving a home’s attic­ ventilation system, particularly in homes older than 10 years, is one of the simplest and most important tasks a homeowner can do to optimize energy efficiency of the home and prevent long-term moisture problems. Ask your local building-material retailer for more information on ventilation and insulation products. & J Rx * We Do Not Telephone Solicit r i Call PAUL COOK ELECTRIC for all your HOME, FARM & COMMERCIAL WIRING Then rest assured the job's done right 357-1537 Creosote clean-up (NC)- Jon Eakes host of Just ask Jon Eakes, answers the myriad of questions that everyone has about ordinary tasks and problems that face the household. Here is just one example... One potentially serious problem that any householder with a chimney faces, sooner or later, is the build-up of creosote on the chimney walls. Eakes reports that he found what appears to be a simple solution to the problem while travelling in Newfoundland. It was suggested that dried peelings from five or six potatoes thrown on the fire, once a week, will keep the chimney walls as slick as a whistle. Eakes says that the custom traces back to England and Holland. He adds that while the potato cure seems to work on the chimney, no one seems to have a scientific explanation as to why. Watch for Jon on HGTV Canada. - News Canada “1 I I I I I I I I 11 I GAVIN’S S*” 524-2440 or 1-800-450-4333 R.R. #5, Goderich USE THIS COUPON FOR... i pj°/o °ffJ. Call GAVIN’S CARPET CARE today to book one of Huron County’s most recommended Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning firms. Example: 12 x 24 = 288 sq. ft. x 27‘ = ’77.67 less 15% = ’66.10 + G.S.T. Coupon must be presented at time of cleaning. Coupon may not be used in conjunction with any other discounts. 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