Bats in attic

We have had problems with bats in our attic ever since two barns were torn down near our home. We have been told by a pest control company that they can’t be removed until the fall. Any suggestions?

A. Bat proofing a structure is the best way to manage a bat infestation permanently but only at certain times can exclusion be performed if bats are roosting in the attic. Bat entry points are best sealed during the months of September through April, when no bats are present. This involves sealing openings after the young bats are old enough to fly (mid August or later). Bats may leave in September and October to migrate. Sealing will prevent bats from entering the structure in spring.

Seal all points of entry such as openings larger than a half-inch; under eaves, gaps around utility lines and holes around chimneys and windows. Also, ensure doors, windows and vents have screens and are securely framed and chimneys are capped. Larger opening can be sealed with high quality caulk, 1/4-inch wire lath, sheets of metal or window screens. Bright lights, fans and ultrasonic devices may be effective but are only temporary controls.

Use of light: Since bats tend to avoid daylight, illuminating an attic may cause them to leave for another location. This method is more effective if done shortly after bats return from hibernating sites.

Bat Houses
Bats are important insect predators so putting up a bat house will give them a new place to roost in a structure other than where people are living. Install a bat house in a tree or post where they will not represent a nuisance and you will also keep them in the neighborhood eating your bugs; up to 600 to 1000 bugs an hour. Bat houses can be purchased at hardware stores or easily built.

For more information on Bat Houses and bat control in your home check out www.batcon.org or contact the Bat Conservation Society of Canada located in Calgary at 403-295-6227.

How to prepare new and old concrete or patio stones for sealing

Q: Shell, I have a new concrete driveway and feel it is time to seal it and I have older concrete patio in back as well an area of patio stones and would like the proper procedure to seal and protect all the surfaces.

Thanks,
Bob

A: Lets start with the new concrete and patio stones;

Before sealing you must acid wash the surface to etch the cement to enhance penetration of the sealer.
Use a solvent based concrete sealer for the initial application; 2-3 years down the road, acrylic coatings may be used.

Old concrete;

If badly stained (blotchy), follow brightening procedure before sealing.
If concrete has never been sealed but comes clean after use of Shell Busey Home Cleaning Formula, proceed with the following:

* Acid wash the surface, using 2/3 water & 1/3 Muriatic Acid, be sure to add the acid to the water, NOT the other way around.

* Allow to sit until a foaming action occurs, scrub with a stiff bristle brush and then rinse and allow to dry.

* It is best to apply the sealers using a low-pressure garden sprayer, or puddle on the surface and spread with a 10mm roller.

Caution: Wear safety glasses, clothing & rubber gloves when working with Muriatic Acid.

DO NOT DO THIS PROJECT IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT

Re-finishing your wood deck with stain or clear coat

Q. Our cedar deck is over 10 years old. It appears that there was a transparent stain under the solid color stain where it has peeled off. It looks like two coats of different solid color stain were applied without proper preparation. Now we have a problem with the entire deck is peeling. Should we use a pressure washer to remove the remaining stain? What is the proper way to refinish this deck?

A. To remove the previous coats of stain, use a stain remover available under the Flood Paint brand, available at Cloverdale Paint and Home Hardware Stores. After applying the stain remover, pressure wash to remove the stain. Don’t be concerned if you tend to etch the deck wood with the pressure wash; this will only enhance the ability of the wood to hold onto the new finish. Consider staining with a Clear Deck Finish by “Messmers” or “Cabot,” both available at Cloverdale Paint Stores.

It’s Just That Easy

Replacing expansion joints in concrete driveways

Q. I recently repaired cracks in a concrete driveway. The wooden strips between the slabs of concrete on the driveway are deteriorating. Is it best to replace the wood strips or is there a better solution. What kind of wood should I use if I end up replacing the strips?

A. To Replace wood expansion strips it’s best to use pressure treated lumber. Use 1×4 treated lumber and masonry sand. Place the 1×4 in the joint and wash sand in and around the 1×4 on both sides. This will stabilize the 1×4 in place and the pressure treated wood will last for years.

It’s Just That Easy

Shell Busey

Preparing exterior wood stairs for paint & stains

Q. Every spring we have to totally sand down, primer, and paint our wood stairs at the front of our house. Last year we again sanded & applied Cloverdale primer & porch paint, but it has all bubbled & flaked off too! Is there an easier solution?

A. Keeping wood finishes, stain or paint on wood outdoor steps in our Canadian Climate can be a frustrating experience. Here is a tip that works for me. When sanding to prepare for stain or paint, use 40-grit sandpaper. This will enhance the wood with a rough texture allowing the finish to hang on. We tend to want to sand our wood to a very smooth finish giving the finish nothing to hang onto. Give it a try.

It’s Just That Easy

Turn Your Home Into a Smart House

YOUR HOME AS A SYSTEM

I always recommend approaching your home as a system, not as a group of independent parts. Keep in mind that each change you make can impact other aspects of your home.

Here’s how to improve the comfort and energy efficiency of your home from the foundation to the chimney.

BASEMENTS AND CRAWLSPACES

An unfinished basement can account for significant heat loss. Insulating the inside of concrete walls will help stop the migration of cold air. In most cases, you can insulate basement walls from the inside, but first check for signs of water leaks and correct any drainage problems.

Once any moisture problems have been fixed, you can insulate unfinished basement or crawlspace walls.

There are many ways of insulating concrete walls and all work very well.

Rigid-foam insulation, spray foam and either glass fibre or rock wool batt (Roxul) insulation are all options for this type of application.

The proper application process is available through Natural Resources Canada’s Keeping the Heat In publication by calling 1-800-387-2000.

EXTERIOR WALLS

Exterior-wall insulation should have an R value (an R value is the measure of thermal resistance) of R20 to R22. Six-inch glass fibre is R20, while six-inch rock mineral wool (Roxul) is R22.

Insulation may come in batts or loose fill, which can be blown into place. Options for upgrading the insulation in exterior walls are spray foams or rigid-foam sheets applied on the outside or inside of the walls.

If you’re planning to improve the street appeal of your home by replacing siding and windows, take this opportunity to draft-seal and upgrade the insulation by adding sheets of rigid foam under the siding.

Upgrading the insulation in the wall cavity cannot be achieved from the inside unless you strip the interior of the wall of its panelling or drywall.

WINDOWS

It’s ideal to replace windows at the same time as you upgrade exterior walls. By combining these retrofits you will get added value through savings in both energy and labour costs for the installation. Replacing older, drafty windows with new Energy Star-rated windows will noticeably improve the comfort level of your home, in addition to improving the street appeal.

When choosing windows, look for Energy Star-labelled windows with low-e coating and argon.

A great rule of thumb is to look for “good, better, best” rated windows.

- Glass:

Good — Low E Argon — Energy Star label

Better — Low E2 Argon — Smart Glass, Energy Star label

Best — Low E2 Argon — Stainless steel spacer bar, Smart Glass, Energy Star label

- Frames:

Good — Aluminum with thermally broken frame

Better — PVC vinyl multi-cavity extrusion for the best thermal resistance

Best — Fibreglass with stainless steel spacer bar

DOORS

Replace entrance doors with Energy Star-rated insulated steel or fibreglass doors.

Ask these questions:

- Is it Energy Star-rated?

- How is the frame designed under the steel or fibreglass to ensure secure mounting for locks and dead bolts?

- Does the frame have generic weather-stripping for future replacement?

- Does the door threshold have a sweep seal or bumper-tape seal?

Aluminum doors should have clad thresholds with integrated door sweeps. Ask for pre-finished “powder coated” doors for the best finish. If door is “primed painted” it must be painted with quality exterior latex paint within six months of installation. For French doors or outswing doors, hinges must have “fixed pins.”

HEATING

Upgrading your furnace or boiler to a high-efficiency unit is the best improvement you can make to lower your heating costs. Today’s Energy Star-rated furnaces with a variable speed motor are rated at least 90 per cent efficient. A 20-year-old gas furnace would have an efficiency of about 60 per cent, meaning that for every dollar you spend on heating, 40 cents is wasted.

If possible, draftproof and upgrade your insulation before replacing your existing heating system. When replacing a furnace, have a reputable heating technician size the heating system for both the heating load and existing ducting.

VENTILATION

As we tighten up our homes for energy efficiency, it’s important to address ventilation and humidity control.

There are several ways to reduce indoor humidity, such as increasing ventilation using exhaust fans when cooking, showering or bathing.

Here are some rules of thumb:

1. Bathroom exhaust fans should be controlled by a dehumidistat exhausting air at an average rate of 105 feet per minute or one cubic foot per one square foot of bathroom.

2. If a forced-air furnace has only a single speed blower motor, have a conversion made to a two-speed motor allowing air to be circulated 24 hours a day, 365 days a year throughout your home. If after installing a two-speed motor you start to feel drafts at some of your floor registers, you should consider installing a home damper. This prevents cold air from coming in the home through the heating system.

3. With electric or hot water (radiant or convection) types of heating systems it is important to have the best exhaust ventilation system you can afford. You could install a heat recovery ventilator system-HRV which will recover up to 70 per cent of the heat in the moist stale air being exhausted from your home.

4. Many homes have insufficient insulation in attics, another source of heat loss. Fibreglass batts can be easily installed by homeowners. Cellulose or loose fibreglass is typically installed using an insulation-blowing machine. Ventilation and air sealing are necessary in attics where insulation has been added to prevent warm air leakage from the rooms below building up in the attic cavity.

5. Fireplaces are one of the worst heat-loss areas in the home. A closed fireplace damper is often the largest hole in the exterior envelope of a house. Even when dampers are closed they do not provide a good seal and are quite ineffective due to heat warping. A great way to eliminate this is the “Fireplace DraftStopper”, an inflatable product designed to fit into the firebox.

Government’s rebate program will pay you to save energy

Under the federal government’s Eco Energy Retrofit program, property owners can qualify for grants by improving the energy efficiency of their homes and reducing their home’s impact on the environment.

This program involves two visits from a Natural Resources Canada (NrCan) licensed energy advisor to conduct a full assessment of your home’s energy use. You will then receive a personalized report to show you what you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your home. Once you have performed some or all of the recommended upgrades, an advisor will conduct a second audit.

Homeowners are responsible for the cost of the audits, as well as the upgrades. The rebate will depend on the completed upgrades based on a flat-rate system.

Rebates tend to range from $300 to $500.

Written by Shell Busey
Published in the Vancouver Province Thursday, June 07, 2007

All you need to know before you paint

Painting a room or an entire house is a project you can perform quickly and without too much difficulty if you are properly prepared.

Keep these tips in mind to help you get off on the right foot:
- While it’s tempting to start applying paint as quickly as possible, the preparation is crucial since most problems when painting can be attributed to poor preparation.
- Be sure you are prepared to take on the project from start to finish, keeping in mind that this is a two-person job.
- Decide on colours that you both can live with to ensure you are on the same page before getting started. Consider using the services of a professional colour consultant.
- Before you have your paint supplier mix the paint, consider purchasing a sampler of your colour choice and paint an area approximately 48 by 48 inches to determine how the colour looks in the morning, afternoon and evening light.
Note: Most paint dealers, including Cloverdale Paint, Benjamin Moore and General Paint, make samplers available for this purpose.
- Ensure you have the right tools and equipment before you begin, i.e. stepladders, scaffolding and dropsheets (cloth type, not plastic.)
- Don’t guess the room size or the amount of paint required. Measure the width, length and height of rooms to be painted. Your paint dealer can then calculate the required amount of paint for you.
- If you have paint left over, store in a tightly sealed container and set aside for touch-ups.

GETTING STARTED

All walls, woodwork and flat-surfaced ceilings must be washed and rinsed as a first step. Use the Shell Busey Home Cleaning Formula, available at most paint stores. This will prepare the walls for the best paint job.

- Prepare the surface. Repair small holes and cracks in the walls in addition to sanding and priming where necessary.
- Some paint colours may require a primer first. Discuss this with your paint dealer.
- Delegate the painting duties. Decide who is going to paint the trim, who is going to do the walls and stick to your plan to stay on schedule.
- Prepare the room. Decide which room you are going to start with and create a functional workspace by clearing out small items. Move large furniture to the centre of the room and cover with protective sheets. Don’t forget the drop sheets on the floor, and use painter’s masking tape.
- Always apply paint in this order: ceilings, walls, trim.

TOOLS YOU WILL NEED

• Measuring tape
• Drop sheets (cloth type)
• Painter’s overalls and rubber gloves
• A selection of brushes — good quality pure bristle for oil/alkyd paints and nylon or synthetic for water-based/acrylic latex paints
• A spackling knife four inches wide and patching spackle for picture-hook nail holes
• Sandpaper
• Rollers and pans
• A leveler, if wallpaper is being considered
• Cleaning solvents if required
• Two empty 20-litre pails to clean brushes and rollers
• Patience

THE RIGHT PAINT

Ask your paint dealer for the best quality paint. High-quality paint will get the value back in resistance to wear and tear.

Most paint suppliers have a low VOC or low-odour paint available if you are sensitive to paint odours.

Don’t forget the environmental features of your paint choice. Acrylic latex is an excellent choice for most interior and exterior applications.

Written by Shell Busey
Special to the Vancouver Province: Thursday, June 07, 2007