Robert Butler - Aspect Inspection

11/05/2021

What is thermal bridging? Energy nerd Martin Holladay explains how to improve the effectiveness of insulation.

11/05/2021

The pipes that make up a house’s drain-waste-vent (DWV) system are the exit for the water provided through the supply lines. They also carry waste from the toilet, and they connect to outside air for venting sewer gas and relieving pressure.

12/15/2020

Lois Butler

04/27/2019

Would this not be a worthwhile municipal investment for Hudson, Rigaud, Pierrefonds etc.?

10/17/2018

You definitely did not expect this!

10/08/2018

BE COOL.... It's better for you!

Get some sleep by beating the heat.

09/30/2018

Paw Prints In The Brick
As you can see there are paw prints in these brick and though these are in an older part of Montreal there is a historical connection to Pointe-Claire. And the paw prints have to do with how the bricks were made.

There is an area referred to in the modern city of Pointe-Claire as the Terra Cotta. For most its just a name for a ball field and a wooded area with walking trails.

In fact it is the former site of the brick making enterprise that was one if the original industrial foundations of Pointe-Claire. The natural deposits of clay provided the required raw materials and the growing port of Montreal was the market.
Before the railroads and highways existed horse drawn wagons delivered the finished brick by way of the quarry road (now called Cartier Avenue) to barges and boats (Where the Pointe-Claire Yacht Club is now).

The raw clay is formed into bricks and impressed with the name Pointe-Claire on the rear face but at that point the clay had too much water in it to be fired. So they were put outdoors on racks to dry for several days before being fired in the kiln.

The paw prints are tracks left by raccoons who sometimes walked over the racks at night. By the time any workman saw them they were usually too dry to correct.

In the course of my building inspection work I've seen the Pointe-Claire marking many times, but the paw prints, they are much rarer.

03/05/2018

All air handling systems have this risk.
It's not always visible or even accessible to the non-professional.
Your heat pump, air conditioning, humidifier, dehumidifer, HRV (heat recovery ventilator) and furnace are all air handling systems.
They all need regular cleaning and periodic replacement of filters.
This article describes overhaul cleaning.
Basically the equipment is taken apart, cleaned and reassembled.
If you haven't had it done or can't remember when it was last done, it's time.

As more and more homeowners turn to heat pumps, many seem unaware of the potential for mould buildup and the need for regular deep cleaning.