Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
ARI MARANTZ: Cold-air return will boost basement heat
QUESTION: We have a 1,440-square-foot basement under a full two-storey home heated with a high-efficiency gas furnace. We have four warm air outlets in the basement with no cold air returns. A friend, who used to install furnaces, told me to cut a return in the cold air return to the furnace, near the floor. Is this a good idea and if so what size should the opening be? If not, what alternatives do I have? Do I really need a cold air return there to increase heat and efficiency in the basement?
Thanks for your time, Wayne Spittal
ANSWER: A lack of return air ducting and registers in basements is one of the most common issues I see in older homes. While some of the finished rec-rooms in these basements are fairly comfortable in the heating seasons, others are not and often have supplementary electric heaters installed. Installation of proper return air ducting and registers should make the area much more comfortable, especially with your newer high-efficiency furnace that should have a much more powerful fan than the older one it replaced.
Your friend has given you good advice about installation of return air for the basement, but I don't think you got the whole story. Either you misunderstood his recommendation, or he was giving you a simplified solution that may not be the best one possible. While installation of return air for the basement will improve the air flow to and from the furnace, cutting a hole in the return air plenum right near the furnace may not be adequate for the entire basement and may prevent proper return air movement in your home.
The proper method to achieve what you want is to install one or more ducts directly to the existing return air ducting or plenum. These should run to one or more locations near the basement floor, but farther away from the furnace. Also, installation of proper registers over the end of the ducts will prevent excess dirt and debris from entering the ducting. Installation of these ducts can be through an existing interior basement wall or other accessible area. These ducts should not be installed directly against an uninsulated foundation wall, or within an insulated wall, as condensation can create moisture-related problems.
Because of the size of your basement I would expect more than one return air would be prudent, but if the entire area is unfinished, one may do until further walls are constructed.
A modern forced-air heating system in a home has two main ducting systems, which allow good air circulation throughout the building. The warm air ducting is typically installed below the main floor and will terminate in registers near the exterior walls on the main and upper floors. This ducting is pressurized as warm air is blown past the heat exchanger on the furnace by the furnace fan, into the ducting. This heated air will enter individual rooms in the house through these registers and rise to the upper level of the rooms due to normal convective forces.
Once the furnace fan shuts down, this air will cool and settle toward the floor. The return air registers and ducts are installed to help collect this cool air and draw it back into the furnace housing, so that it can be heated and recirculated once the fan is reactivated. Without return air ducting, as in your basement, much of this cool air may not be drawn back to the furnace, resulting in stale or damp air in that area of the home.
By cutting a hole in the return air plenum right near the furnace, you may collect some of this cool air from the basement, but not from the right location. If you install return air ducting and registers at the opposite end of the basement from the furnace, you will then make the air movement more efficient. The cool air will be collected from the location where it is most susceptible to becoming stagnant, at the far end of the home from the furnace.
This increased air flow will also allow the existing heat registers in the basement to more easily replace the cool air with warm, heated air, further improving comfort.
I'm glad that you are seeking advice from a professional heating technician, even if he is no longer practising, but you should be careful about the application of that advice. While you may be adept enough to do some of the work in the installation of the new return air ducting in your home, this is normally a professional job. Holes in existing ducting and attachment of distribution pipes can be difficult to accomplish, unless you have the proper tools and know-how. A trained heating technician should also be able to do measurements and calculations, if necessary, to determine how many return air registers are required for your basement.
Warming up cool basements in the heating season is often something that many people desire but don't know how to accomplish. One of the simplest ways to achieve this goal can be to add proper return air ducting to this level of the home. Improving air circulation to the furnace, by this method, can be the difference between comfort and cold in your basement. Another benefit of improved airflow is to minimize stale air and prevent condensation and mould growth, common to basements with no return air systems.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the President of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors -- Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be e-mailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.
Renovation & Design
Out, damn'd spot
QUESTION: There is a fair bit of black spot on my roses, and I have lost the recipe for a baking soda spray to control the disease.
ANSWER: The baking soda spray, developed at Cornell University, helps to control the spread of both black spot and powdery mildew on roses. Remove infected leaves before spraying and apply the spray to both upper and under sides of the leaves, as well as the stems.
The original spray combines five ml (one teaspoon) each baking soda and horticultural oil in one litre of water. Shake the mixture well before and during the spraying.
Refinements to the spray include the addition of five ml insecticidal soap to help the solution adhere and cling longer to the plant. To foliar feed the plants and enhance their disease resistance, adding 10 ml of liquid seaweed fertilizer to the mix will be helpful.
Alternating the baking soda spray with a sulphur spray may help to increase the effectiveness of both. Apply sprays every 10 days as needed. Make sure the plants are well-watered before spraying them, and apply the spray in the evening, never during warm, sunny days.
-- Postmedia News
Renovation & Design
Microgreens add unique flavour to dishes
I should have realized gardening would be one of my callings back in Grade 1. A science experiment where we had to sprout seeds saw me faithfully watching over mine.
I can still recall the fascination of watching that first sign of life emerge from the previously dormant seed. I just thought it was miraculous a plant was growing from this seed.
When my sprouts were tall enough, I potted them and proudly took them home. My mother suggested I plant the young plants in the garden in an area I could call my own. Once planted, I thought Mother Nature had nothing on me. Later the same day, my father stopped to pull a few weeds from the garden as he came home from work. Yes, he pulled out my plants! I don't think I ever saw my father more remorseful.
My little story offers a segue to today's column on growing your own microgreens -- sprouted seeds or legumes. Microgreens are different from sprouts in that they are grown in a soil-free potting mix as opposed to water for the sprouts. While the seed, root and stem are eaten with sprouts, with microgreens, you cut off the stem at soil level and do not eat the root or seed.
The seeds were connected to a salmonella scare with sprouts that has surfaced on several occasions. According to Health Canada, between 1996 and 2005 raw alfalfa sprouts and mung bean sprouts contaminated with salmonella have been linked to a number of outbreaks in British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta, as well as in the United States.
The Health Canada website also discusses potential causes of the salmonella: Scientists believe the most likely source of contamination is the seeds that are used to grow the sprouts. Since you do not eat the seed in microgreens, the health hazard is not the same as with sprouts.
Microgreens have been made popular by gourmet chefs in major restaurants. The chefs are always looking for something new and interesting to add distinctive flavour to dishes. Microgreens fill that bill nicely and can be used as garnishes for a punch of flavour or as a salad themselves.
There are many crops to try as microgreens. Lettuces, spinach, mustard, radish and arugula are among a few. Other vegetables such as broccoli, beets, celery, cabbage and even carrots can add interesting flavours to dishes or make great salad blends.
Microgreens are extremely easy to grow and can be grown on any sunny kitchen counter or windowsill. All you need is a shallow tray, some seeds, sterile potting mix and water. I like using the plastic clamshells bakery products come in. Dampen the potting mix, but not so that it is sopping wet. It should be moist, but not dripping. Fill the tray or clamshell with 2.5 centimetres of the potting mix.
Plant the seeds as per the instructions on the packet. I recommend using certified organic seeds, which you can find in most garden centres or online from a supplier such as Mumm's Sprouting Seeds, a Saskatchewan company with a good selection of certified organic seeds.
When planting the seeds, try to get them in a single layer and not touching each other. Use a spray bottle to water the seeds and soilless mix. If the tray or clamshell does not have drainage holes, aim for keeping the soil moist, but never wet. You can always punch some holes, but it really is not necessary if you are careful not to overwater.
You should be ready to do your harvesting in about five days, but taste your microgreens at different stages. If you like the taste at a particular stage, harvest and enjoy. When harvesting, cut off the plants at the soil level, but be careful not to include any of the potting soil itself. Harvest the plants daily until no new sprouts are emerging.
Some of my favourites include radishes and celery. I love to add these two microgreens to salads.
The great thing is you can try a new variety every two weeks. Having new flavours from your own homegrown produce adds interest to meals. Just make certain you tell your nearest and dearest they aren't weeds.
-- Postmedia News
Gerald Filipski is a member of the Garden Writers Association of America.
