Electrical
Use this detailed checklist as a guide as you look around for leaks, cracks, breaks, wear, and every other conceivable problem that can develop over the year. Then make a repair list to keep up on maintenance in the coming months. Check trees ... [... more]
This Old House |
Fall Furnace Maintenance
As part of an annual once-over, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey checks the efficiency of an oil-burning furnace. Before performing any maintenance, Richard makes sure to switch off the electrical power and the fuel ... [... more]
This Old House |
Radiant Floor Heating
For an alternative to the cost and complication of a hydronic system, there's electric radiant heat. Its warmth comes from a loop of thin electric wire laid directly under the finish floor. No boiler, no water, no 1/2-inch-thick tubing to alter ... [... more]
This Old House |
Uncle Sam Wants to Pay You
While it's too late to take advantage of those fat federal tax credits for energy-saving products such as high-efficiency furnaces, water heaters, windows and insulation (Washington put the kibosh on those late last year), there are plenty of ... [... more]
This Old House |
How to Transform an Old Chimney Pot Into a Garden Light
All you've got to do is a some simple wiring and a little digging in the garden. Among the simplest creative reuse projects I've done for my Salvage column, this landscape uplight is also one of my favorites. That's partly because I love proving ... [... more]
This Old House |
How to Build a Radiator Cover: Overview
You need to be able to measure, saw, screw, and paint with the skill of a patient novice Fresh off the factory floor, with ornate cast-iron fins ready to take their first hit of steam, the radiator was the darling of American plumbing. But that ... [... more]
This Old House |
Chimney Toppers
Chimney pots, like these antique English ones at Recycling the Past in Barnegat, New Jersey, range in height from about 2 to 4 feet. Prices start at $250 for an intact pot that can be reinstalled on a chimney. Cracked ones can be used for ... [... more]
This Old House |
Keeping Warm for Less
If you feel a shiver each time you open your utility bill, your house may be too cold. More likely, however, you're paying more than you should to heat it. In either case, you can make changes now that will make your home more comfortable and ... [... more]
This Old House |
Calling in an HVAC Pro
Nothing in your house affects your comfort more than your heating and cooling systems. Yet unless the heater conks out during a blizzard or the air-conditioning goes on the fritz in the middle of a heat wave, most of us pretty much ignore our ... [... more]
This Old House |
Geothermal Heat Pump: How It Works
An electrically powered, geothermal heating and cooling system transfers heat between your house and the earth using fluid circulated through long loops of underground pipe. As with ordinary heat pumps, the refrigerant in a geothermal heat pump ... [... more]
This Old House |
Retrofitting Radiant Heating
Richard Trethewey screws an aluminum track into a joist bay at the TOH TV project house. The tracks will pull heat from warm water in the radiant tubing to warm the dining room floor above. Richard feeds the PEX tubing to heating contractor John ... [... more]
This Old House |
Dream House Turned Nightmare
All day long, cars slow at the curb, drivers craning their necks for a better view of the worst, most expensive environmental disaster in the history of my town. Our homes are where we invest our dreams—and our savings. They're supposed to be our ... [... more]
This Old House |
