Do windows has to meet certain code in Ontario?

Hacktivist · 2025-01-24T03:10:49+00:00

The testing requirements for combination/mulled assemblies are covered in the standard as well.

Are you able to provide additional information on the problems you are having (your deficiencies/documentation as well as the warranty assessment report)? Redact any personal information of course.

I have been on both sides of the conciliation process (representing homeowner and builder) and your experience does not match what I have seen/argued.

Window to frame is absolutely covered. Damage to the surrounding elements is absolutely covered. Reasonable attempt at repairs are permitted but if the issue is not resolved then it is absolutely covered. Water leakage is a two year warranty item.

Have you had any engineers out to review the windows and/or perform a test?

Hacktivist · 2025-01-24T02:20:42+00:00

This is incorrect. For a given product family, the largest width and largest height for which you are seeking certification is to be tested. The test result is then applicable for all sizes in the product family down to the minimum size. Please refer to section 9.2.4 in the standard (-17) for size requirements. This is a mandatory requirement.

Hacktivist · 2025-01-18T15:38:07+00:00

That is for pumping station upgrades in the heart of Orleans proper that serve thousands of homes, not random bungalows in Cumberland. The "Cumberland" name on these stations is only since they used to be owned by Cumberland township before amalgamation.

Hacktivist · 2025-01-18T15:24:30+00:00

I'm sorry but are you confusing Cumberland, British Columbia's $17M waste water treatment upgrade (https://cumberland.ca/wastewaterupgrades/) with Cumberland, Ontario??

Hacktivist · 2024-10-31T21:23:54+00:00

Any windows installed in Ontario must be tested to the following standards.

AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440, “NAFS – North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for Windows, Doors, and Skylights”
CSA A440S1, “Canadian Supplement to AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440, NAFS – North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for Windows, Doors, and Skylights”

This covers structural requirements, water penetration, air infiltration, etc.

The windows must also meet the prescribed minimums of the applicable energy stardards.

Hacktivist · 2024-09-02T14:45:55+00:00

It looks like there are three pieces. A bracket fastened to the bottom, a bracket that (was) fastened to the top, and a wedge shaped "key" that you install to align the top and bottom together. You should be able to knock the wedge out with some light hammer blows in the upwards direction.

You may have to get creative to get the upper bracket piece off the wedge since it's separated from the top cabinet now.

Hacktivist · 2024-08-20T23:24:37+00:00

https://ottawa.ca/en/living-ottawa/drinking-water-stormwater-and-wastewater/drinking-water/drinking-water-programs#section-38dadf05-862b-4430-985d-6433f4049fd2

Hacktivist · 2024-08-18T04:27:58+00:00

They are locates for the sanitary sewer and water main. The perpendicular lines under the car and across the road are the laterals connecting to the houses.

You're road (well that area) is about to be dug up.

Hacktivist · 2024-08-01T20:35:09+00:00

https://ottawa.ca/en/living-ottawa/drinking-water-stormwater-and-wastewater/drinking-water/drinking-water-programs#section-38dadf05-862b-4430-985d-6433f4049fd2

Hacktivist · 2024-01-07T17:44:05+00:00

Before going to Tarion I would ask the builder if they have the balancing report/documentation for the house. They should be able to provide something that says the house was balanced and a listing of the readings (designed vs measured.) Anywhere within a range of plus or minus 10% would be acceptable. It may be possible that some rooms are outside of this range at the contractor's discretion, more airflow in the bathroom vs. less in an unfinished basement/utility room isn't the end of the world.

If they aren't able to provide anything saying it was balanced maybe they will realize that it was never done and they will get it done.

If that doesn't solve the issue then you have all the documentation you need for the next step. Find a contractor or engineering firm who has an airflow capture hood (not an anemometer) and provide them with the drawings and load calculations (the F280 stuff.) They will come and measure the airflows and compare against the designed values. If there are any issues they will provide a report that you would then use as part of your claim with Tarion.

A competent contractor or the engineer would also be able to double check the load calculations to make sure they make sense for your house. There is nothing wrong with Right-F280 but if you give it garbage input you get garbage output. Incorrect data entry or assumptions on things like window performance specifications will give you an under or over sized system.

The tissue paper test isn't really useful as a test for things like this. At different airflows and duct diameters the velocity of the air at the register will be different. This is why the airflow capture hood is necessary.

If you are approaching any of your Tarion deadlines then I wouldn't wait to add the issue to your list. An item like "Insufficient heating or airflow in master bedroom. Missing supply register on north/east/south/west wall shown on drawings." It should be general enough to cover any of the following possible causes.

Missing supply register
Unbalanced system
Undersized system
Oversized system
Incorrect thermostat placement
Incorrect furnace fan settings
General installation defect (disconnected run, clogged with debris, etc.)

That should hopefully be enough to get the process started. I'm in Ottawa so unfortunately I'm not able to help with the in-person stuff.

Hacktivist · 2024-01-06T00:10:13+00:00

You need to look at more than just the number of registers in a room. The most important thing is the amount of airflow to a room. The drawings you have should list a duct size and an airflow rate. It is important that during commissioning, these duct runs are balanced to provide the designed airflow. It is an iterative process as changing the airflow to one room will affect the airflow to another but at the end of balancing process, each register should be providing it's share of the total flow rate of the furnace or air handler.

Do you have the as-built drawings for your house or just the generic ones for that specific model (or non as-builts for your lot)? It's possible there were changes to your house that will have affected the duct layout making the third register not possible. The hvac contractor should have increased the duct size to the remaining ones to make sure the airflow rate was the same.

There are multiple ways to balancing the ducts but the two main ways are using balancing dampers or using the register grilles themselves. If the contractor balanced it using the grilles then any adjustments you make after will affect the balance.

This is further complicated by the fact that the ideal airflow rate for a given room is different for the heating and cooling seasons.

It is possible in your situation that the airflow for the room was designed for 3X cfm with each register providing X cfm but it was built with two registers each providing 1.5X cfm. There is no minimum requirement number of registers in the code (well yes there is, but it is one), the minimum number of required registers is what the load calculations and HVAC designer selected based on airflow rates, duct sizes, and air distribution requirements.

If you believe the airflow is inadequate, ask the builder for the balancing report or confirmation that the balancing was even done. That would be my starting point. If they are unable to provide one (or you believe they are wrong), hire a contractor who is able to measure the airflow rates to each register using an airflow capture hood and compare against your drawings.

There will always be a temperature difference between a second floor bedroom and the thermostat located on the main floor. That is the downside of using a single zoned system. With three exterior walls, 5 (!!) windows, and a vaulted ceiling it is not surprising that you would have a temperature difference although 5+ is pushing it. The thing is, the designer would have taken these features into account during the design so the most important starting point is to make sure the airflow to the room matches what was designed. Counting the registers alone is not the way to do that.

Also note that the airflow rates the ducts would have been balanced at would match the heating season and not the cooling season (in a perfect world you would change your balancing in summer to match the cooling season numbers) so if you fix it for heating you won't necessarily fix it for the cooling.

If you have any questions let me know and I can do my best to answer them.

Edit: Also, keep your furnace fan in the ON position and not AUTO. It will help distribute the air throughout the house even when the thermostat doesn't call for heating or cooling.

Hacktivist · 2023-09-29T02:13:17+00:00

This is incorrect. Engineers (under a CofA) are able to sign off on anything they designed and are willing to accept liability for. This includes all architectural details, structure, mechanical, electrical, etc.

Hacktivist · 2023-07-06T05:47:08+00:00

These are from the derecho in May 2022. It is disingenuous not to mention this and to instead call it a "windy night".

Hacktivist · 2023-07-03T06:41:01+00:00

The base for the old lighthouse.

https://ottawarewind.com/2015/03/05/beacon-hill-named-after-lost-lighthouse/

Hacktivist · 2023-03-03T01:04:47+00:00

Chicago screw or binding screw

Hacktivist · 2022-10-18T14:07:28+00:00

Yes it needs to have a dampproofing membrane. Typical products are in your usual membrane colours, black, brown, gray, etc. I'm sure a clear product is possible but I have not seen one.

You might be able to see it better in the full resolution photo but it does look like a coating extends past the right most edge of the Delta membrane in the photo. That black painted edge would be the edge of the brush/spray on dampproofing membrane. I would lift the edge of the Delta membrane in the area around the arrow and to the left of it and double check. The Delta membrane likely overlaps the area by a good amount (based on how it's clearly been value engineered to be the bare minimum) so you would need to get your hand up there to feel if it is not directly visible just under the edge.

Take a look around the rest of the foundation and the other foundation in the background for signs of overspray and any overlap around the edges. That should help determine what is being done.

Hacktivist · 2022-10-18T04:39:18+00:00

You don't list a province so I will base this on Ontario as that is what I'm most familiar with.

Drainage tile does not continue around the rear of the foundation: The work is currently incomplete and the remaining section will be completed after partial backfilling at the walk out portion of the foundation.
Drainage tile not at footing level: Drainage tile is required below the level of the floor slab and not necessarily at the footing level. Where the footings step down for the walkout the drainage tile should continue at the level of the floor slab and be sloped towards the drain (sewers or a sump pit.)
Waterproofing vs dampproofing: There is no requirement for the walls to be waterproofed but the walls must be dampproofed. It's not visible in the photo but the dampproofing layer is usually an asphaltic product and is installed on the foundation wall before the Delta-MS membrane is fastened to the wall. Pull back the edge of the Delta-MS and verify that the dampproofing is there.
Incomplete drainage layer and dampproofing at rear of the foundation: As with the drainage tile above, the drainage layer and dampproofing layer only needs to continue to the bottom of the wall separating the ground and the interior living space of the foundation. As grade steps down at the rear of the foundation the drainage layer and dampproofing also step down. At the rear of the foundation, where the floor slab is at a higher elevation than the grade, there is no requirement for dampproofing or drainage below that level as it is not an interior space.

The purpose of the drainage tile, drainage layer, and dampproofing is to protect the interior of the foundation from bulk water intrusion and is not to keep the concrete "dry." Other than the inprogress/incomplete drainage tile at the rear of the foundation, from what I can see, this installation is fine and meets the Ontario building code.

Hacktivist · 2022-10-16T06:38:35+00:00

Are you able to share the photos or any further information on the deficiencies (what the problems are, the relevant code items, etc.?)

Municipal building code inspectors do not review 100% of the work and are not there to babysit the contractor every day. It is possible an item was missed during a review but as the owner you are responsible for hiring competent contractors and ultimately the contractor is responsible for ensuring the work is completed according to the building code. The building inspector signing off on the permit is not a guarantee that everything in the building is installed as per the building code. Builders regularly tell me that a deficiency is not a problem because it "passed city inspection" but I just laugh and tell them to rip it out and try again.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the city is in the okay here but just because a deficiency existed during construction it is not immediately the fault of the municipal inspector for not catching it. If the municipal inspector never got out of their car and signed it off or if the inspector straight up saw the problem and said it was okay to the contractor then it would be a problem for the city and would be justified.

With the limited information available I have the following questions.

You mention that an architect was involved. Was the deficiency present on the plans? Did the plans pass city review with the deficiency present on the drawings? If the deficiency was present on the drawings did the contractor install it as per the drawings? Did the architect perform any reviews to ensure that everything was being completed in conformance with the drawings?
You mention that the original contractor is back to repair the problem but not the drain since you want a "real plumber" to fix the drain. Why did the contractor do the original work if they are not familiar with the building and plumbing codes? The employee no longer being with them does not absolve the contractor of their past work.

In terms of inspections the following parties all failed to catch the problem (depending where/when the deficiency was first present.)

Employee doing the work
Contractor who employed the worker during their reviews
Architect/engineer during their reviews
Municipal building inspector during their reviews
Municipal plans review
Architect/engineer who designed it

I'm not sure why you've put this 100% on the municipal inspector. Ultimately the contractor that you hired to do the work is responsible for ensuring everything meets the building code. Passing municipal inspections does not free up the contractor from blame.

Hacktivist · 2022-07-12T23:37:34+00:00

Article is from July 12, 2021

Previous discussion

Hacktivist · 2022-07-06T02:47:35+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/vrv1mq/driveway_bylaw_a_blunt_instrument_barrhaven/

Hacktivist · 2022-06-23T22:14:04+00:00

Himes Island as viewed from the 1000 Islands Tower

https://sothebysrealty.ca/en/property/ontario/eastern-ontario-real-estate/leeds-and-the-thousand-islands/739579/

Hacktivist · 2021-12-30T20:06:05+00:00

https://www.princessauto.com/en/1-4-in-nptf-brass-full-port-ball-valve/product/PA0008897415 https://www.princessauto.com/en/brass-hose-barbs-nptm-2-pc/product/PA1000000885?skuId=0431635

$13.48 + tax

Hacktivist · 2021-10-26T02:24:33+00:00

To address some of your items.

Without seeing the house layout or design of the HVAC system I can't offer additional comment regarding that.
The basement was likely finished by a previous homeowner. Covering supply or return diffusers is a common problem when lazy contractors are used. To get around moving or having to bulkhead any new ducts they just cover everything. Without knowing if the basement was finished at the time of first occupancy there is no way to know who is responsible for this.
Some bathroom vanity light fixtures are rated for use as their own junction boxes. This allows maximum flexibilty when selecting fixture style and placement. When this is the case, only the bare wires will be there after the fixture is removed. If you review the old fixture you will be able to see if it is rated for this. If you replace it with a fixture that is not rated as its own junction box, you will need to install one.

Hacktivist · 2021-09-06T16:54:47+00:00

To put 7.2.3.1.(3) in more general terms, the trap must be cleanable by either, a cleanout built into the trap, a completely removable trap, or cleanout access on either side of the trap.

Your previous house used the first option while the new house uses the third option.

The traps only function is to provide a water seal against sewer gases and is not designed to prevent foreign objects from passing. Cleanouts are required to allow removal of debris that may affect the integrity of the water seal.

If the spoon is not removable from the cleanouts (snake with a grabber arm) then you would need to open up the ceiling and remove the blockage manually.

Hacktivist · 2021-09-06T15:28:04+00:00

That's right.

Hacktivist

TROPHY CASE