When you’re picking a new bathroom ventilation fan, you will often come across the term ‘CFM.’ An abbreviation for cubic feet per minute, CFM quantifies the amount of air that a fan can move. Larger bathrooms require fans with higher CFM ratings. According to Fantech, the Home Ventilating I…
Radiator Colors
Ever wonder why so many of the old radiators you see are painted silver? Back in the day, they were mostly plain grey metal, but then the Spanish Influenza arrived during the winter of 1918-19 and that changed everything. So many people died from this airborne virus that the Board of Health came…
The Purpose of PEX Oxygen Barriers
Make sure to use oxygen barrier PEX in any closed-loop hydronic heating system that includes PEX tubing. New water is not routinely introduced to closed-loop systems. The same water cycles through them, under pressure, continuously. Oxygen corrodes ferrous metals. Any system components made from …
How To: Choose a New Boiler
If you're looking to update your boiler before winter sets in, make sure you take into consideration your boiler's size, efficiency, and venting requirements. Feel that chill in the air? Winter is coming. Now is the time to assess your heating system and replace any aging or malfunctioning compon…
Watch the Tailpipe
Start your car on a cold morning and walk around to the tailpipe. See that water dripping? That's the way a high-efficiency, condensing boiler works. It removes so much of the heat from the flue gases that the gases turn to liquid and drip out. That liquid is acidic so we use neutralizers to deal wi…
Tank vs. Tankless Water Heaters
Tankless water heaters present an alternative to conventional tank water heaters. Tankless units generally take up less space, can be mounted on a wall, and only heat water on demand. Although tank-style water heaters expend extra energy to keep the contents of their storage tanks warm at all times,…
Spruce Up Old Baseboard Heaters With Stylish DIY Replacement Covers
Looking for a way to retrofit your old baseboard heaters? Do-it-yourself with the versatile and easy to install Baseboarders replacement covers. Baseboard heaters have been an extremely popular choice for many homes since the mid-1950s—and unfortunately, many of these units are showing their ag…
Eliminate Drafts this Winter
During heating season, homes and buildings inevitably lose heat through ceilings, floors, windows, and doors. One major source of heat-loss is often overlooked: ducts. Unless a structure has a forced-air heating system, ducts used for central air conditioning are inactive during the winter. Ducts us…
Grocery Store Radiant
A great place to understand radiant heating (or to explain it to your customer) is your local grocery store. Stop first in the gadget aisle and pick up a thermometer. It will probably read 70 degrees, a nice comfortable temperature. Walk up and down the aisles and keep your eye on the temperatur…
Expansion Tank Mounting Positions
Expansion tanks can be installed in any direction. Whether oriented uprightly, horizontally, or even upside down, the expansion tank will function properly without any adverse effects. When putting an expansion in an abnormal position (specifically sideways or horizontally), make sure to support the…
Rotten Egg Smell in Hot Water
Anode rods protect the lining of water heater tanks from corrosion. In rare instances, anode rods can contribute to foul-smelling hot water that has the odor of rotten eggs. This may occur when there are high sulfur and low oxygen concentrations in supply water. The anode rod promotes the generation…
Why closely spaced tees?
Primary-secondary piping systems call for the tees that go off to the secondary circuit to be close together, ideally not more than six inches apart. Think like water and you'll see why this is. Flow down the primary main and imagine you're entering that first tee. You have two choices: You can stay…
