Question 1

Frost heaved my New Brunswick deck posts again, how deep should they go?

Accepted Answer

Your deck posts need to go a minimum of 4 feet (1.2m) below grade in New Brunswick — and deeper is better, especially inland. Frost heave is one of the most common and frustrating deck problems across the province, and it almost always comes down to footings that don't get below the frost line.

New Brunswick's frost depth varies by region. In Fredericton, Woodstock, and the upper Saint John River valley, you're looking at 4.5 to 5 feet in a hard winter. Coastal areas like Saint John and Shediac

Question 2

The wood stove in my New Brunswick camp backdrafts on windy nights, why?

Accepted Answer

Backdrafting on windy nights almost always comes down to one of three culprits: a chimney that's too short, a competing pressure zone, or a flue that's gone cold. The good news is that most backdraft problems are diagnosable and fixable without major expense.

Here's what's likely happening at your camp. When wind hits your building, it creates a high-pressure zone on the windward side and a low-pressure zone on the leeward side — and often a swirling low-pressure zone right at the roofline. If

Question 3

Why does my new vinyl siding buckle and warp on the south-facing side of my Moncton home every summer?

Accepted Answer

Vinyl siding buckles and warps on south-facing walls because it's expanding from heat — and the most common cause is that it was installed without enough room to move. This is one of the most frequent siding complaints in the Moncton area, and the good news is it's almost always preventable or fixable.

Vinyl is a plastic product that expands and contracts significantly with temperature changes. A 12-foot panel can expand up to ½ inch on a hot summer day. South-facing walls in Moncton take the b

Question 4

My septic system backs up every spring thaw in rural Sussex — is the drain field failed or is it just groundwater overwhelming it?

Accepted Answer

Spring backup during thaw is one of the most common septic complaints in rural New Brunswick, and the honest answer is: it could be either — but the symptoms can help you narrow it down before calling a professional.

The timing is the key clue here. If backups happen only during the 2-3 week thaw window and then clear up completely once the ground drains, you're likely dealing with seasonal groundwater intrusion overwhelming the drain field rather than a true system failure. Sussex and the surr

Question 5

Ice dams keep forming on my Dieppe home and water is leaking into the attic — is this an insulation or ventilation problem?

Accepted Answer

Ice dams are typically caused by inadequate attic insulation combined with poor ventilation, creating a cycle where warm air escapes through your ceiling, melts snow on the roof, and refreezes at the cold eaves. Given Dieppe's heavy snowfall and frequent freeze-thaw cycles, this is unfortunately a common problem in our area.

The root cause is heat loss from your living space warming the roof deck above the heated area while the eaves remain cold. Snow melts, runs down, and refreezes where there

Question 6

There's a musty smell in my Fredericton basement that gets worse in July and August — is it mold or just humidity?

Accepted Answer

That musty smell is most likely mold growth triggered by summer humidity, and you need to address it quickly before it spreads. July and August are peak months for basement mold in Fredericton because warm, humid air meets your cool basement surfaces, creating perfect conditions for mold growth.

Fredericton's clay soils and high summer humidity make basement moisture problems extremely common. Your basement walls and floor stay cool year-round (around 10-15°C), but when humid summer air (often

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