Renovation & Design

Renovation & Design

Oh, oh; Don't use tin foil in self-clean oven

QUESTION -- I have a bit of a challenge. We have a new self-clean oven which hasn't had a lot of use yet. As my wife was out, I decided to heat up a frozen pizza for supper. It was one of those that you place directly on the grill. To protect the bottom of the stove I put some tin foil down in case some the cheese dripped down during cooking. Well I was informed after the damage was done that one of the no-no's of a self-clean oven is that you don't use tin foil. The foil has melted in to the stove and has now left a noticeable residue which I can't seem to get off. Any ideas as to what I might try to try and get the film off and maybe get back into my wife's good graces. Thanks, Blundering Bob, Rosenort.

ANSWER -- I want to give you two solutions to tackle this mess; the first is (with the oven off) sprinkle baking soda to cover the affected area well. Use enough white vinegar to wet the soda. Leave the mixture on the area for a long time; overnight, if possible. The resulting chemical reaction should do most of the work for you. If need be, repeat the procedure. Or the second solution, (with the oven OFF), soak a towel in water and lay it onto the affected area. Leave overnight and gently scrape or wipe the foil off.

QUESTION -- My daughter suspects that she has a black mould problem in her bathroom. Is there any way to ascertain that it is indeed black mould? If it is, what are the measures and precautions to take to get rid of it? Anon. Winnipeg

ANSWER -- If you detect black mould, it is important to act quickly as it can lead to health issues if it is not removed. There are many types of mould and working with a professional mould inspection company is the surest way to guarantee that mould problems in the home are identified and treated appropriately.

Any location where there may be excessive moisture or inadequate ventilation is an area prone to mould. Mould may be any colour: black, white, red, orange, yellow, blue or violet. Dab a drop of household bleach onto a suspected spot. If the stain loses its colour or disappears, it is likely mould. Humidity is the single biggest cause of black mould therefore in order to get rid of black mould in the bathroom, make sure that your fan circulates the air and keeps the humidity down.

When removing black mould from particular rooms seal it off as best you can from the surrounding areas using plastic sheeting and duct tape. Ensure that you have dampened the area you are working on to minimize the release of mould spores. Clean the area as much as possible using soap and water. Then disinfect the area with a bleach and water solution, leave for a few minutes (usually about 15 minutes) and then rinse thoroughly and dry rapidly.

When you get ready to start black mould removal, wear a facemask and rubber gloves so that you don't breathe in the black mould spores or let them touch your skin. There are removal products on the market that kill the black mould. But make sure you always read the label and follow all safety procedures for use of the product. Black mould removal is something that you may have to do several times to make sure you kill all of the spores.

QUESTION -- We have hardwood floors and have a rubber based mat or carpet at the front door (to wipe feet as one enters the house). We had our house painted last summer and prior to painting, the painter hosed down the house with a power washer. Unfortunately some water seeped under the front door and under the mat, leaving rubber marks on the hardwood floor. What can we use to get this rubber off the floor? Thanks so much in advance. Your advice is so useful. Marion, Ste. Agathe

ANSWER -- You always want to start with the easiest solution and then move towards more drastic measures only if needed. Begin by scrubbing the area with a white or pink rubber eraser. This may be all you need to remove the marks. Keep me posted!

QUESTION -- I'm looking for a solution for getting rid of the potentially decades old smell of moth balls in a recently acquired antique six plank chest. It is a beautiful rustic piece that we use as a coffee table. Unfortunately the interior reeks of moth balls (strangely the scent wasn't apparent upon purchase). I'm wondering if there is a permanent method to get rid of the smell from the chest. Perhaps letting it air out in the winter cold? To date I've tried to counter the smell with cedar balls with little success. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Also, is there any hope for ridding the smell from games in cardboard boxes and wooden games we have stored inside the chest? Thanks for all the good work you are doing in testing and promoting safer household solutions. A big fan, Emma, Lac Du Bonnet

ANSWER -- Let's start with the antique chest, I would begin to zap the odour by washing the chest with Murphy's Oil. If the smell remains, wash the table by painting is with vinegar and a few drops of tea tree oil or straight vinegar if you do not have tea tree oil, allow the table to air dry (this has had great success). Also, place coffee ground, sprigs of eucalyptus or charcoal inside of the table to absorb odours. After a few days, remove the contents and STUFF the chest full of newspaper. Leave for at least 4 days. Another option is to purchase a product called Odorzout (www.88stink.com ). If the smell remains, the problem is very likely coming from old basswood which was often used in the making of interior parts of drawers and furniture frames. Over time basswood gives off a musty odour. Seal the unfinished wood on the interior of the furniture piece with a can of shellac. Apply a second coat, making sure to reach all areas of bare wood.

As for the board games; clean board games with a sponge and a little dish soap and water or white vinegar and a few drops peppermint extract. Lightly dampen the sponge and move it in a circular motion. Store a fabric softener sheet inside each board game box.

Reena Nerbas is the author of the national best sellers, "Household Solutions 1 with Substitutions", "Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets" and the soon to be released book "Household Solutions 3 the Green Edition" available on-line and in stores across Canada.

www.householdsolutions.org

Reena Nerbas
January 24

Renovation & Design

Bathroom fan moisture a source of worry

Question -- I have a question that hopefully you can answer, or at the very least, offer up some recommendations. I have a 1960s bungalow and recently had the bathroom renovated, which included the installation of a new bathroom fan. The fan that was installed is a high-end model and has more than adequate air flow for the size of the bathroom. The old fan was vented through the roof. The new fan is vented through the attic space and exits out the gable end and has approximately a 20-foot run. The fan is initially connected to solid metal venting and is then connected to flexible tubing for the remainder of the run. The venting goes up a short distance from where it connects to the fan, turns 90 degrees and is sloped downward towards the vent cap. Both the fan and vent cap have flappers to prevent back drafts. The venting is wrapped in insulation.

Please note that the fan was installed just prior to the winter. Also please note that the fan has not been used. The problem is that moisture came down the outside of the fan housing and damaged the drywall ceiling. The moisture does not appear to be coming from within the fan. Upon investigation, we discovered that the outside of the metal venting and fan housing is covered with a thin layer of ice, which is melting near the fan and running back into the ceiling. There is also a buildup of ice inside the venting, but I assume that this is due to the use of flexible venting.

Given that the fan has not been used, because we are not using the bath or shower, this is not the cause of the moisture. In layman's terms, it appears that the moisture that is naturally in the attic space is condensing on the outside of the fan housing and venting, and then following gravity back down the outside of the housing and into drywall ceiling. I have done a little research and have learned that the use of flexible metal venting is not recommended. I have also seen it suggested that one can use 4-inch plastic sewer pipe as it is smooth and not subject to condensing and icing as is metal venting.

What do you think about using plastic tubing instead of metal? What is the correct type of insulation and insulating wrap to use given our Winnipeg climate? What is the proper way to insulate around the fan housing and the venting that runs up from where it connects to the fan and before it turns 90 degrees and then slopes down to the where it exits the gable?

Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

­--Bob Bouchard, email

Answer -- As the recent, bitter cold snap appears to be behind us and the temperature approaches the freezing point, I have been receiving numerous phone calls and e-mail regarding water leakage into homes, similar to yours. Consequently, I thought that this warm spell would be the ideal time to deal with this common issue, often not experienced until the Spring thaw.

With several weeks of constant, bitter cold weather, nearing -30C every night, we often experience an invisible issue in our homes. Excessive frost build-up can develop in attics, particularly in older homes, on the underside of the roof sheathing and gable ends. With normal winter temperatures, sunny days, and adequate attic ventilation, this frost may slowly melt, the water evaporate and be eliminated from the attic through the vents. With an extended period of unusually cold weather, like that just behind us, the frost may not melt and will continue to thicken until a heavy layer covers all the wooden components in the attic. While the temperatures remain in the sub-arctic range this causes little problems and will not usually be noticed until there is a sudden warm spell, when the frost may melt very quickly and saturate the insulation in the attic. As we have just seen, this can cause leakage into the ceilings and walls in the home.

The same thing can occur even in a well insulated, air sealed and vented home, through the one large opening in the attic floor, the exhaust fan. While there may be little area for warm, moist house air to infiltrate your attic in most of the ceilings, this is quite possible though a poorly sealed bathroom exhaust fan. The small damper in the fan is not often well sealed enough to prevent warm air intrusion into the duct from the bathroom. While this may cause some condensation and leakage, it may only be a portion of the problem in your bathroom.

The housing for most bathroom exhaust fans is made of metal, has several small holes and will conduct heat quite well. Considering that the underside of this fan housing is at room temperature and the top side exposed to the freezing attic, it is highly prone to condensation. Not operating the fan may exacerbate the situation, as warm air may sit in the fan housing and not be blown harmlessly out through the normal ducting and vent hood. A lack of high-volume air movement may contribute to frost building up in and around the fan ducting, due to a lack of fresh, warm air to melt the existing frost. I would operate the fan, periodically, even if you are not using the shower, to prevent this.

The ultimate solution is to ensure that the ducting and housing in the attic is well sealed and insulated. This can typically be accomplished with a combination of several small cans of blown-in polyurethane foam insulation and conventional duct pipe wraps, or pre-insulated ducting. The foam should be blown to a thickness of five centimetres or more, around the entire fan housing and the solid metal ducting, and then covered with conventional insulation to match the rest of the attic floor. If the flexible ducting connected at this point is not insulated, it should be discarded and replaced with pre-insulated flexible ducting or solid metal, which can be then wrapped with several layers of pipe wrap insulation. While solid piping is a better choice than flexible ducting to prevent loss of air volume, rarely is plastic piping used in this situation. I don't see any reason not to use ABS pipes, as you have suggested, other than the difficulty working with long lengths of this rigid piping in the confined space of your attic and the added cost, but it will still have to be insulated to prevent freezing.

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 or sent to: Ask The Inspector, P. O. Box 69021, #110-2025 Corydon Ave., Winnipeg, MB. R3P 2G9. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.

trainedeye@iname.com

Ari Marantz: Ask The Inspector
January 24

Renovation & Design

New receptacles tamper resistant

TORONTO -- New parents who babyproof their home normally place plastic covers over the electrical outlets, but revisions to the Canadian Electrical Code announced Thursday mean that some day that will no longer be necessary.

The updated code requires new homes to have tamper-resistant receptacles, designed to prevent children from inserting objects like hairpins, keys and nails which could cause them to receive a shock.

"The great thing is that finally we have some technology that's actually passive -- it doesn't rely on the parent to actually make sure that there's any covers in place," says Denyse Boxell of Safe Kids Canada.

"So we're very, very pleased that finally there's technology that would be permanent on the wall and would have an automatic shield closure, which is what we've been asking for for quite some time to prevent these kinds of injuries."

The new receptacles have a built-in shutter system that prevents anything from going into just one hole. The shutters will open only if two prongs are heading into the holes at the same time.

Boxell says it would be unlikely for a child to stick two pins into an outlet at the same time.

"We know from the research and obviously child development, and such things, that children don't do that," she said.

"Because at the stage of development where they're curious and they're exploring these types of things, like what object fits into what slot, it's beyond their level of cognition to actually do that."

And although it's not required for existing homes, Stephen Brown, director of electrotechnical codes and standards for the Canadian Standards Association, says homeowners may wish to replace their receptacles.

"The cost of actually installing one of these receptacles is very, very inexpensive," he said in an interview.

Boxell said anyone intending to do this should call an electrician if they don't have the skill and training to do it themselves.

And for those who choose not to make the change, she said they can continue to use the plastic covers -- although they're not ideal.

"Research has showed that small children can still pull them out of the socket and also they're very small so children who like to mouth things have been known to put them in their mouths and choke," she said.

"So we do strongly recommend, if you have young children, to retrofit your home and put in the new tamper-resistant receptacles."

The first version of the Canadian Electrical Code came out in 1927, and it's routinely updated by the Canadian Standards Association, a not-for-profit member-based organization that develops and implements standards and codes. The association is celebrating its 90th birthday this week.

This is its 21st revision, Brown said.

Once an item is in the code, it's up to the provinces to adopt it, Brown said, and he expects a majority will do so within six months.

"This is a change that actually helps protect children from electrical injuries," Boxell said.

She noted that on average, there are about four deaths each year in Canada due to electrical injuries.

"And we have about 121 emergency room visits as a result of an electrical injury, and that's for children under the age of 14," she said.

The code is more than 700 pages and this version includes 118 revisions, Brown said.

In addition to the electrical outlets, he said homeowners with swimming pools will find new bonding requirements for pools installed or retrofitted with saline chlorination systems.

-- The Canadian Press

By Anne-Marie Tobin
January 24

Renovation & Design

Style options endless for galley kitchen

QUESTION -- We have just moved into a home that requires some renovating. In particular, we want to focus on the kitchen. One of the features we liked was the reclaimed brick wall between the kitchen and the dining room.

The kitchen is a long, galley style and feels a little claustrophobic. We want new cabinets and wonder if we could remove the wall across from the brick wall. (There's a hallway on the other side.)

Do you have any suggestions to open this space up and what wood stains go with the brick?

ANSWER -- You have two interesting design questions. First, the redesign of your galley kitchen plan, and second, how to work with a rustic brick feature wall.

Galley kitchens were first introduced to residential designs in the late 1920s. This efficient design was borrowed from the galley kitchens found on ships, trains and aircraft at this time. The galley kitchen style is recognizable by its long, continuous cabinet and counter display. This linear design often consists of two banks of cabinetry units facing each other. Space is limited, so there's no room for table and chairs.

To increase storage, vertical space is the way to go. Hanging pots, dish racks and ceiling-mounted cabinets are common.

To successfully redesign your kitchen, you'll need to identify which walls are load-bearing. Obviously, the brick wall will be staying, and is likely the main weight-bearing wall. If the wall separating the kitchen and a hallway is not weight-bearing, you will have greater flexibility for opening this space.

Of course, by eliminating a portion of this wall, you reduce storage space. You may be able to replace a portion of the countertop with a custom-designed island, depending on the width of your hallway and the space your kitchen opens into. The island would offer storage below, while at the same time provide a seating area.

If you remove the upper cabinets, the space will feel more open. If your blueprints indicate this is in fact a weight-bearing wall, you could provide support with strategically placed pillars at each end of the island.

When it comes to selecting the new cabinetry, your options are endless. Reclaimed bricks are equally stylish in a country setting as well as a contemporary, urban kitchen. If a country theme is more your style, a weathered barn-wood door front would complement the rustic ambience the bricks provide.

Equally at home with rustic brick are painted surfaces. Country blue, sage green and butter yellow provide the perfect accompaniment to the russet colour. For a traditional setting, new cabinets in maple, oak, cherry or alder woods would provide an updated look.

Selecting a darker stain will provide contrast to the brick wall. A similar tone will provide a homogeneous effect, but without contrast, the overall effect may become uninspired.

If the tone of the wood is similar to the wall, add visual contrast by installing upper cabinets in varying heights. For a more contemporary and urban feel, consider a high-gloss laminate cabinetry in black, royal blue or brilliant yellow. This sleek contrast to the rustic wall sets the tone for a modern European style.

Stainless-steel cabinetry is an alternate option and perfect for a metro-loft feel. This look can be further enhanced by adding a practical application of clear glass as the backsplash over the brick.

Before you begin removing walls, consult a kitchen specialist.

QUESTION -- I have heard some concern regarding radon emissions from granite countertops. How much of a threat is this and how can I tell if my granite is safe?

ANSWER -- Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is commonly found below the Earth's surface in many parts of the world. It is caused by the natural process of decaying uranium.

Recently, there has been attention given to home-building products that may emit this gas. As a gas, radon can move freely through rock and soil layers. This doesn't mean every rock formation or soil layer is in contact with this uranium byproduct.

Since radon is a colourless and odourless gas, however, it is possible granite, or other stones for that matter, may be contaminated without anyone's knowledge. Most granite that is used for counter applications has proven to be free from radon.

If you are concerned about your product, contact the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada at www.radiationsafety.ca or call 1-800-263-5803.

-- Canwest News Service

By Leanne Brownoff
January 17