Homeowners
Plain-language cost guides for homeowners: repair versus replace, running costs by state, safety, and how to read an HVAC contractor’s quote.
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Smart Vents: What the Closed-Register Research Says, and When They Work
Smart vents can fix one or two uneven rooms, but federal lab research shows closing registers on leaky ducts costs energy. We put the LBNL evidence next to…
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Thermostatic Mixing Valve: How It Works, ASSE 1017 vs 1070 and What Code Requires
How a thermostatic mixing valve works, why a valve at the water heater does not replace the shower and tub devices code requires, and how to fix drift…
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Ducted Mini Split: Static Pressure Limits, Ratings and Duct Design Rules
A ducted mini split hides the indoor unit and feeds a few rooms through short ducts. Here are the maker static pressure limits, how its ratings compare with…
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Electronic Air Cleaner: How It Works, Ozone, Cleaning and MERV
An electronic air cleaner charges particles and collects them on washable plates. We checked the ozone numbers, CARB rules, Honeywell and Trion cleaning guidance and the MERV 13…
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Indirect Water Heater: How It Works, Sizing, Priority Zones and Federal Rules
An indirect water heater is a boiler-heated storage tank with no burner of its own. How the coil and priority zone work, how to size one by first-hour…
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Aquastat Explained: High Limit, Low Limit, Differential and Boiler Settings
What an aquastat does, how high limit, low limit and differential work, and what the Resideo, Beckett and Hydrolevel manuals and state codes actually say about settings and…
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Where to Put a Thermostat: Height, Walls and Vents, From the Manuals
Where to put a thermostat, from Resideo, ecobee and Google Nest manuals plus the 2010 ADA Standards: the 5 ft vs 48 in. height question, vents, exterior walls,…
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Water Heater Recirculation Pump: How It Works, Energy Use, Controls and Code
A recirculation pump ends the wait for hot water, but an always on pump can more than double water heating energy. We show the federal evidence, the IECC…
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How to Flush a Water Heater: Gas, Electric and Tankless Steps From the Manuals
A step by step flush for gas and electric tank water heaters from A.O. Smith, Rheem and Bradford White manuals, the refill rule that protects elements, CPSC scald…
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Water Heater Relief Valve: T&P Ratings, Why It Drips, Testing and Pipe Code
What the water heater T&P relief valve does, its 150 psi and 210°F ratings, why it drips, how to test it each year, and the discharge pipe rules…