Heating

Question: I'm forwarding this question to you in the hopes that you will be able to help us. We own a home in southeast Winnipeg and in 2002 we replaced our old furnace with a new high efficiency furnace. At the time that the furnace was installed, we were told that since this furnace was so … [Read more...] about High Efficiency Furnace & Fresh Air Intake

Question: I have a cold Floor Problem. We have a house that had an addition built on to the south side in 1990, approximately forty feet by ten feet. The south wall is cantilevered and the construction is 2 x 6 with well insulated walls in the addition and in the crawlspace. My actions taken … [Read more...] about Heating Cold Crawlspace

Question: Dear Ari, We read your articles every weekend in the Free Press home section and may I say that they are very informative and resolving. My wife and I continuously discuss whether it is best to leave the furnace fan running all day so that it keeps circulating the air in the … [Read more...] about Furnace Fan on Continuously

Question: Dear Sir: Please explain how one should use a Broan Relative Humidity gauge, which is installed in our bungalow condominium. We have a Desert Spring drum-style humidifier attached to our furnace, as we had in our previous older home. There is also a cold air intake close to the … [Read more...] about Function of Humidistat

Question: I have a question for my mother.  She is 76 years old, lives in a 2-story house with oil forced air heating, and needs to replace the furnace.  The big decision is whether to go with a forced air natural gas furnace or an electric forced air furnace.  If … [Read more...] about Electric Vs Gas Furnace

Question: Hi Ari. We have a big old gas-fired hot water heating system. The boiler is around 100 years old, converted from coal to oil to gas. It has a round firewall inside the main chamber that keeps the flames from touching the back of the boiler. The firewall has crumbled and we are … [Read more...] about Concrete Block for Boiler

Question: Dear Mr. Marantz, I am writing this letter in the hopes that your knowledge and background can help me be more comfortable in my home during the heating season. Our home is a 1260 sq. ft. bungalow, with a cathedral ceiling in the living-dining area, built in 1969. The windows are … [Read more...] about Cold House

Question: Hello Mr Marantz : We had a gas fireplace installed into an existing chase 3 years ago. The house itself is 15 years old. Last winter, the first really cold one since the fireplace installation, we noticed that it became quite cold around the fireplace when the heat was not on. This … [Read more...] about Cold Fireplace

Question: I have a problem with a down draft from my fireplace. My fireplace was recently redone, at the same time as other renovation work, on the main floor of my house. What may be causing smoke to come back into my house even after the fire has gone out. Answer: There may be several … [Read more...] about Chimney Backventing

Question: I have recently installed a new mid efficiency furnace in my 1000 square foot bungalow. The ductwork has a couple of sliding vents to allow some of the heat into the basement. The ductwork runs along the main beam and ceiling of the basement. Otherwise, there is only one electric … [Read more...] about Basement Return Air