Heating

Question: We are slowly renovating our basement to make a rec-room for the kids to play in.  Currently we have no floor covering in the basement. We are planning to re-carpet the rest of the house in the next few weeks and would like to carpet the basement, as well.    … [Read more...] about Carpet in Basement

Question: Last winter, the Free Press reported on a family who barely escaped carbon monoxide poisoning, thanks to attentive neighbours. The leak had apparently occurred during a furnace repair job. My question is who checks furnace repairs? When I had a new furnace installed, a few years ago, … [Read more...] about Who Checks Furnace Installation

Question: I have a question about the use of programmable thermostats for furnaces/air conditioners. What temperature variances are within acceptable limits? In the winter, I like to have the temperature in the house around 22C.  During the day when no one is at home, I let the … [Read more...] about Setback Thermostats

Question: My daughter recently bought an old home that is in excess of 90 years of age. She is presently trying to clean-up the basement, prior to insulating it, and I am assisting her in the removal of all the "old" stuff that is no longer used, or serviceable. Towards this end, in removing old … [Read more...] about Removing Pressure Tank

Question:  I recently replaced the low efficiency furnace in my 1050 square foot bungalow with a two-stage, high efficiency furnace.  The ductwork, which dates back to 1953 when the house was built, was not changed.  While the furnace motor runs more quietly than the … [Read more...] about Noisy New Furnace

Question: I read your column in the Free Press and thought you may have an answer to my question. My house was built in 1912 and is heated by hot water radiators. On the third floor there is a pipe sticking up from the floor, next to the radiator. There is an elbow on this pipe and the pipe is … [Read more...] about Mysterious Heating Pipe

Question: We read you columns in the Free Press every week, many thanks for the articles. We have one problem, which has not been addressed. Our three bedroom and bathroom house, built in 1962, is a tri-level and the top floor has no cold air returns. This makes the top level very cold in … [Read more...] about Installing Return Air Ducting

Question: My wife and I acquired a 46 year old home. The furnace flue is located in a 6'-0" wide chimney next to a fireplace flue. All winter we have had an ice build-up problem on the rain hood, along with water leaking out of the flue cleanout in the basement. After having had two chimney … [Read more...] about Ice on Chimney

Question: Could I please have your opinion about humidifiers for a residence?  If you think they should be used, can you advise what type is preferable? Answer: Relative humidity in homes is an important topic that has a complex scientific background for explanation, and is often … [Read more...] about Humidifiers

Question: I bought an older house, blew cellulose into the attic and installed a high efficiency gas furnace. The result is high level of humidity. Please explain in basic terms how an HRV works? I have had advice on how to build my own version of it. I could buy a pipe fan, place it on the … [Read more...] about HRV Operation