For general questions on heating in your home.
15
votes
4answers
2k views
How can I insulate my garage door?
Over the past year I've been converting our integrated garage so that it's a usage space.
I've painted the walls, got lighting, power and water connected (To allow for a washing machine to be ...
3
votes
2answers
3k views
Why does the gas furnace blow cold air at the start of the heating cycle?
What does this problem sound like?
There is a 25 year old gas furnace in the house we rent.
(The guy that owns the place claims there is NO problem at all. He said the igniter is brand new and ...
1
vote
2answers
2k views
Why is my radiator not getting hot water or have air in it?
All except one radiator are working fine. The one that stays cold is in the room with the thermostat, so the system keeps running more than it should.
I tried bleeding it and just water came out. I ...
1
vote
1answer
150 views
Ceiling / Wall mounted heaters recomendations?
My mom wants to get my step-dad a heater for his workshop in the garage, but there's very little floor space available that isn't taken up with tools, and she noticed that there's an electical plug up ...
2
votes
1answer
525 views
Why does my gravity vented wall Furnace keep turning off/
We have an Empire gravity vented wall furnace:
That turns off. According to the instructions, this is because the vent safety switch. But when I open up the furnace, it appears to be vented just ...
1
vote
1answer
103 views
Oil heater in a large room
I'm about to by an oil heater. One of the properties of a heater is the area of the room that the heater can heat. Say 15 m^2 or 20 m^2.
The question is: what will be if I use the heater in a larger ...
3
votes
5answers
4k views
Why does my furnace need frequent power resets?
I have a NOMA Programmable thermostat attached to my furnace.
The set point is usually around 21 degrees, and the room temperature is reading around 17 degrees. The furnace is not coming on.
...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
Should the sight glass of a steam boiler always be within the recommended range? Or only when firing?
We just had a new steam boiler installed and it is working great; all radiators are hot when the heat turns on etc.
One thing I noticed though is that the site glass for the water level reads too ...
7
votes
3answers
313 views
How to heat my workshop?
I want something that can warm it up fairly quickly. I may only be out there an hour or 2, but when I decide to work on a project I don't want to wait an hour or 2 for it to heat up. Right now I have ...
5
votes
3answers
790 views
Can I close the garage vent on my furnace?
My furnace duct system has a vent in the garage, right over the furnace. Is it necessary for the proper operation of the furnace to keep that open? I'd hate to waste the money heating up my garage, ...
1
vote
0answers
139 views
Heating system cost estimates
What is the order of magnitude cost estimate of the following heat system. The current one is forced hot air, 50 feet of duct work, 10 vents. Goes through a couple walls, but generally is hanging from ...
1
vote
1answer
209 views
Optimizing a heating system
I am seeking software I can use to better understand the thermal properties of my house. The main two consumptions of the house are water and heating. I'm interested in optimizing the heating.
...
4
votes
3answers
7k views
Why do our baseboard heating pipes make a loud banging noise after a new furnace was installed?
We had a new furnace installed about a month ago. The heating in our house is hot water baseboards. Ever since the new furnace was installed, when the heat comes on or turns off, there is a loud ...
8
votes
4answers
8k views
What type of space heater is best for an uninsulated garage?
I'm planning on applying stain and polyurethane to some furniture I recently built. I've been thinking about getting a space heater for my uninsulated garage, both to help the poly cure, and for my ...
10
votes
11answers
4k views
How can I increase the heating efficiency of a forced air system?
What are some DIY ways to increase the efficiency of a forced air heating system?
Please answer in Community wiki fashion: 1 tip per answer.
Edit:
As @Jay Bazuzi pointed out, tips can also include ...
1
vote
2answers
600 views
Why do some oil heaters (“red diesel”) use also electricity and some not?
I would like to install a small heater, for heating one room, that runs on heating oil, i.e. "red diesel".
After a brief look on what is available for sale, I noticed some of them require also an ...
1
vote
1answer
5k views
Should I add a return air vent in a refinished basement?
We are refinishing our basement, and are nearing competition. The walls are drywalled, and the ceiling is dropped. There will be about 500 sq ft of finished space, including a full bathroom, and ...
0
votes
2answers
122 views
Questions about Heating/Cooling, ducting
Little back story - A while ago, I had a contractor out and in passing complained about how cold my house is in the winter (brick, no real insulation) -- brilliantly, he says "well, yea, your furnace ...
1
vote
2answers
10k views
Although my hot water works, why won't my radiator come on?
As above, the hot water works but the radiators do not come on. It's an old gas powered central heating system. We're thinking it's the wall thermostat at fault but is there anything else it might be?
...
7
votes
4answers
4k views
Is it an easy task to replace a wall thermostat?
As above, is it an easy DIY job to do this safely?
In my research into the above it has become apparant that I should consider replacing the old thermostat with a programmable one for energy savings. ...
4
votes
1answer
158 views
Are discount furnaces safe to use?
More newbie questions ;-)
The house we're looking to buy has an older furnace that "may be manufactured by the Permier/Consolidated furnace company" according to general inspections. We're in the ...
2
votes
2answers
189 views
Check heating pipes for thermal leaks
I would like to check basic thermal leaks of the house heating system (and perhaps the house thermal insulation as well). As the professional services or equipment (thermocamera) are very expensive, I ...
3
votes
3answers
102 views
Geothermal Resources
I am very interested in learning more about Geothermal solutions for my house.
What are the best resources for learning about and planning a Geothermal systems for a residential house?
Also, does ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
Can I have multiple heating zones with a combination boiler?
I bought my first house in December and one thing I've noticed over the winter is higher than expected gas usage which I'd like to try and get down if at all possible. The house is a three bedroom ...
