KEEPING AIR FRESH OLD-FASHIONED WAY
Q Where can I install a heatrecovery ventilator in my 832square-foot home? I don’t have a basement, just a crawl space.
A As much as I love heat-recovery ventilators (HRVs) because of the fresh air and condensation-free windows they provide during cold weather, given that your house is so small, I wouldn’t install one.
The cost of losing precious living space to the HRV itself and to the air ducts is just too high given the benefits that an HRV offers in a small space like yours.
To understand why I say this, I need to mention that the purpose of an HRV is to introduce fresh outdoor air into your home while also retaining most of the heat of the stale air you send outside to make room for fresh.
Energy retention is the name of the HRV game. The thing is, you can also get the benefits of fresh air in other ways.
Opening a window or two a little and running exhaust fans more often and longer will also push stale air outdoors and bring fresh air in.
Sure, you won’t be reclaiming any of the heat during this air exchange, but the amount of potential heat exchange (and money saved) is low because your home is so small.
How much more energy will the no-HRV option consume? No one can really tell without experience, but that’s where a test can help.
If you’re experiencing stale indoor air and condensation on windows during cold weather, try my suggestions about windows and exhaust fans this winter.
See how well it works, and monitor heating costs. I think you’ll find that the extra cost of ventilating your home in the oldfashioned way doesn’t justify the space lost and financial cost of installing an HRV in a tiny home like yours.
This is the approach I recommend in Cozy Cabin, my construction course on building tiny homes, and it always works well.
DAMP GARAGE FLOOR SEALER
Q What’s the best way to seal a garage floor that gets damp in humid weather? The concrete got wet enough this summer that it sometimes changed colour.
A I know it seems strange, but there’s nothing you can do to seal the floor to stop dampness during summer because the moisture isn’t coming from below.
It’s coming from the air. The ability of air to hold moisture is proportional to its temperature. The cooler the air, the less moisture it can hold.
So as warm, humid air comes in contact with the floor it cools, releasing moisture that it can’t hold anymore. One way to stop the issue is to prevent outside air from coming into the garage, but that’s almost impossible.
Depending on how thick the concrete is, you might try opening the door enough so the floor warms up enough that condensation doesn’t happen any longer.
The good news is that dampness on your floor won’t cause any damage during summer.
You might consider sealing your floor to prevent damage from salt and water in the winter, but that’s another issue.
FINISH-FREE DECK
Q Should I apply something to my unfinished three-year-old pressure-treated deck? I don’t mind the weathered look it’s taking on, but I want the wood to last.
A If you’re OK with a weathered appearance, then by all means leave the wood unfinished. This approach will save you a lot of time and money over they years. Finishing a deck doesn’t make wood last longer, it just makes it look more refined.
You’ll get more surface cracks slowly developing over time if you go without a finish, but structurally there’s no advantage to finishing a deck. It’s all about looks. Steve Maxwell has been helping Canadians make the most of their homes, workshops and gardens since 1988. Visit him online at BaileyLineRoad.com.