Q&A / 

Dale Hanson is thinking of purchasing a condo in Champaign, IL. His inspector may have given him bad advice: "I am purchasing a condo and the inspector said he could not find a return air duct in the basement. Is it necessary to have an air duct in the basement?" Dale, I assume you mean is it […]

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Bonnie Speeg lives in a chilly apartment in the gaslight district of Clifton in Cincinnati, OH. She reached out and here's her paraphrased situation: "Tim, my forced-air furnace comes on too often and it's driving me nuts. It's hard to sleep and it's annoying. My landlord says everything is fine and I'm under the impression I […]

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Stacey lives in a nice house that was built the same year I was born! It's in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada where it can get bitter cold. Let Stacey tell you what the problem is: "Hi. I'm in a 1,100 square foot one and one-half story house built in 1952. During the colder months I feel a draft […]

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FilterScan Video Transcript Hi, I'm Tim Carter from AsktheBuilder.com. You know what this is, don't you? This is a common air filter that goes in either your furnace or your air conditioning system. And you know what the trouble is all too often you may be one person that doesn't change them frequently enough or […]

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Thanksgiving and Christmas are bearing down on you. When I still was building and remodeling six days a week, I clearly remember how customers wanted me gone and out of their homes during this festive season. The stress level that accompanies turkeys, family, gift giving and parties is already high enough so the dust, plastic […]

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Quick Column Summary: Intake vent for makeup air What height from the ground Be aware of blockages Randy King, who's in need of makeup air in Madison, WI, wrote: "I saw your video on make-up air. I'm installing Skuttle's Model 216-6 (6") damper control and exterior intake vent. The intake vent needs to exit through […]

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Quick Column Summary: Is furnace smell dangerous Carbon monoxide is odorless/dangerous Dust accumulation causes smell Clean furnace and ductwork Jane, who lives with an old octopus gravity-feed (probably) furnace in Roseville, MI, has an odor issue. Let her describe it: "We moved into a home that has an old octopus furnace - it is labeled […]

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Install Radiant Heating Floor Mat Video 3 of 3 Below are the links to the other videos in this series. Install Radiant Heating Floor Mat Video 1 of 3 Install Radiant Heating Floor Mat Video 2 of 3 Install Radiant Heating Floor Mat Video 3 of 3 Check out my Radiant Heat Floor Mat Install […]

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Below are the links to the other videos in this series. Install Radiant Heating Floor Mat Video 1 of 3 Install Radiant Heating Floor Mat Video 2 of 3 Install Radiant Heating Floor Mat Video 3 of 3 Check out my Radiant Heat Floor Mat Install Quick Start Guide for tips and required tools for […]

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Quick Column Summary: How good is radiant heating Calculate heat loss to determine heat needed for your room Use separate electric circuit for mat Do all of the testing steps DEAR TIM: I'm remodeling a small room that has no heat. Radiant heating is really appealing to me because it's so comfortable. I've seen mats […]

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