Q&A / 

The hot water heater is one of the friendliest and most dependable home appliances. They are very simple mechanical devices when you think about it. My guess is that the average heater has less than five moving water heater parts. Fewer moving parts often translates into minimal breakdowns. In any event, most of us take these "comfort generators" for granted.

READ THE ANSWER »

Many old homes in the United States have aged masonry chimneys with gas furnaces that use the chimney as a vent. Replacing such appliances will leave you with an oversized chimney and draft problems. With stainless steel alloy chimney liners, you can solve this problem. The following tips when talking to companies will count if you're making this adjustment.

READ THE ANSWER »

The following resources are for chimney construction, design and maintenance. If you need to fill a large space around a chimney crown, try the following list of manufacturers who make cement stable silicone caulks. Also, ChimneySaver's CrownSeal, while not a project you can do at home, can help you with your chimney repair without having to start from scratch.

READ THE ANSWER »

Chimneys. Every time my kids watch Mary Poppins, I think of chimneys. Imagine how many millions of chimneys there are in the USA: millions and millions. Heck, I've got two on my own house and I've seen houses with as many as four and five. Each chimney must be properly crowned with a gap between the flue liner and caulked with a cement stable sealant. You can also protect your chimney by installing a chimney cap to reduce weather damage.

READ THE ANSWER »

Acoustical ceiling tiles have come a long way in the past 35 years. Not only are there more styles, colors, and choices, the actual materials are much better at controlling sound. Many homeowners are turned off by acoustic tiles because they think of the ones they see in the discount department store ceilings. These tiles are not the top of the line! You must see the new tiles to believe them.

READ THE ANSWER »

Planning is key when installing acoustical ceiling tile in your home. Using a graph paper mock-up, create a layout with the widest borders possible and begin installing in the center of the room. If using a suspended grid system to hold up the tile, first install the wall angle according to the manufacturer's restrictions. Finish off your carefully installed tiles with the correct size of hanger wire, either 18 gauge for residences and 12 for commercial ceilings. Stapled or glued ceiling tiles begin in the corner of the room, rather than the center, and can be easily cut to fit.

READ THE ANSWER »

Truss uplift is a problem brought on by the modern advancements in residential construction technology. Even though trusses have been in use for well over 40 years, truss uplift only recently poked its ugly head up through attic insulation, creating ceiling cracks down below. Why did this happen just recently? I have a few ideas.

READ THE ANSWER »

Repair roof truss uplift problems before the start. If you happen to be building a house now, borrow a step ladder and inspect the trusses which pass over interior walls. If not, and you need to repair existing truss uplift problems, complete your repair in two phases during winter and summer by using proper L-brackets, drywall clips and retention blocks.

READ THE ANSWER »

SPONSORS /