Homework: Choosing Home Ventilation | canada.com

s What should I install in my old home to improve indoor air quality, a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) or an energy recovery ventilator (ERV)?

a HRVs and ERVs are permanently installed home ventilation devices that replace stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air in the home, all while retaining most of the energy invested in heating or cooling the indoor air. But there is one major difference between the two. Your heart rate is best when your home gets very humid in the winter, as evidenced by condensation running inside windows during cold weather. An ERV is better if your home is dry enough during the winter, but this raises an important point since you’re dealing with an older home.

Older homes often dry out in the winter because “natural ventilation” (also known as “draft”) allows a lot of cold winter air indoors. When this air heats up when it gets indoors, its ability to hold moisture increases, making the air drier—and often very dry. In contrast, cramped modern homes do not have as much natural ventilation, so indoor humidity can reach excessive and harmful levels. If your old place is like most places, there will be no condensation on the inside of the windows during the winter. Your place may be very dry in winter. If that’s the case, I’d argue you wouldn’t benefit from an HRV or ERV because you already have enough fresh air coming in by accident. The only thing that might happen if you install an HRV is that your indoor air will become drier. If you install an ERV, your indoor air will not only become drier during the winter, but it will likely be fresh enough due to natural air leakage. This situation changes completely if you make your house more airtight and more leak-proof. If your home is now airtight enough to encourage window condensation, an HRV is the perfect solution.

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Furniture scuff repair

s How can I make the scuff mark less visible on my pine floor cabinet? It is dyed a medium brown with a urethane finish, but the scratched area is lighter and a little rougher.

a The best thing the average homeowner can do with a problem like this is to make the area roughly the same color as the rest of the lot. You won’t be able to do much to get rid of the roughness without doing a complete refinishing.

Making the area a better color match involves rubbing the appropriate color into the stain. Finding the right color can be difficult because you may need to buy several small packages of stain before finding the right color and finish. Another option is shoe polish, but there are fewer color options. Try a little shoe polish or smudge on the smallest corner of the scratch and see how it looks. A mistake on the slightly darker side than the surrounding area generally looks better than making the scratched area lighter than the surrounding area.

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Temporary wheelchair ramp

s What are my options for a temporary wheelchair ramp at the house I live in while my new home is being built? Total height required is approximately 25 inches.

a The first thing you need to decide is how temporary you need this access ramp. Any type of manufactured metal ramp with a shallow slope will be expensive – perhaps $2k to $4k. There are short ramps available, but they will be too steep for a wheelchair to get up without assistance. You can also build a temporary wooden ramp at your current location. If this temporary ramp is designed properly, you may be able to reuse the wood as a permanent ramp in your new home. Visit baileylineroad.com/wheelchair-ramp-building-plans/ to learn about ramp design and construction. (<رابط للنسخة الرقمية من المقالة: https://baileylineroad.com/wheelchair-ramp-building-plans/ >