I have a 20-year-old furnace. [more inside]
posted by Nonce on Oct 20, 2009 - 15 answers

Chicago home improvement filter: We'd like to get an estimate for installing radiant-heat flooring in our condo (6-flat built at the turn of the last century. We own a duplex down, with the primary living area being on the ground floor) or possibly replacing the HVAC with baseboard heating. Anything, really, because the conversion from whatever-it-was to the gas furnace HVAC it now is was badly done and the place is freezing all the time. Any business or contractors you recommend? Suggestions for going about this the right way? Dire warnings? [more inside]
posted by crush-onastick on Oct 19, 2009 - 5 answers

Installing geo thermal in an old house with boiler? [more inside]
posted by idyllhands on Sep 28, 2009 - 8 answers

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with LG Multi-zone air conditioners? We have a multi-zone system that has been working fine until recently. Now, when I try to run the AC I get a flashing CH 26 and CH 46 error on the units. They work fine if we just use the fan settings. Do I have a bad compressor/inverter or is it something worse?
posted by extraheavymarcellus on Sep 13, 2009 - 1 answer

Can I get the Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency if I am buying the house right now, and the current homeowner is replacing the furnace for me? [more inside]
posted by dpollitt on Sep 1, 2009 - 4 answers

HVACFilterfilter: It's time to get a new filter for my residential HVAC system. Please help me understand MERV ratings. [more inside]
posted by torquemaniac on Jun 12, 2009 - 3 answers

What are these brownish-blackish floaty smudgy bits that drift down out of my ceiling vent at work? Is the stuff dangerous? [more inside]
posted by Askr on May 21, 2009 - 5 answers

Our central AC/Heating system leaked some kind of, uh, oil (!?) last night. I have no idea what it is, the super is baffled. More inside. [more inside]
posted by GilloD on Dec 4, 2008 - 6 answers

What can I use to dampen vibrations from a water pipe? [more inside]
posted by bondcliff on Dec 2, 2008 - 8 answers

What did I do to my HVAC system when I changed my thermostat? [more inside]
posted by jefficator on Nov 26, 2008 - 3 answers

We just boxed in with drywall a round 5" heating duct, running from floor to ceiling in the corner of the living room. Because of some odd features of the room, this took up more space than it should. What I'd really like is to replace the duct (and drywall) with a paintable rectangular duct running up the corner of the room, that would look just as good as drywall. This would have to be rugged enough to withstand small children playing in the room (e.g. not dent like typical metal duct). Does this exist? [more inside]
posted by winston on Oct 5, 2008 - 5 answers

I am looking at ways of improving indoor air quality, and am considering having an Energy Recovery Ventilator installed. Anyone have experience with one, if its a worth while expense. [more inside]
posted by [insert clever name here] on Aug 26, 2008 - 2 answers

Help me keep cool! Ok, I'm a bit OCD about this I realize. I'm wondering if there's some way to test the AC in my apartment to see if it's working properly. Is there a special thermometer to use to test the air temperature coming out of the vents? If so, what should that temperature be? [more inside]
posted by odayoday on Aug 19, 2008 - 8 answers

Why does using the AC make me sneeze? [more inside]
posted by phaedrus441 on Aug 10, 2008 - 11 answers

Why is my bedroom consistently 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the house, and what can I do to cool it off? [more inside]
posted by carsonb on Jul 3, 2008 - 24 answers

Help me de-gunk my outside air conditioner. [more inside]
posted by Unicorn on the cob on Jun 25, 2008 - 5 answers

What books can I get to not be a "dummy" when it comes to my new job? (more inside) [more inside]
posted by ForeverDcember on May 29, 2008 - 4 answers

Our home A/C unit is dying. What next? The other day we came home and our house was 86 inside even though we had the therm set for 75. We called our normal a/c guy and and he came out and said that the main unit which normally holds 6 pounds of freon, only had 2 in it. He suspects a leak in the main coil. [more inside]
posted by damiano99 on May 21, 2008 - 8 answers

High-efficiency gas furnace installed where previously there was mid-efficiency. So it vents straight out the wall while the old furnace used the chimney. The vent is right next to the sandbox. How bad is this? [more inside]
posted by winston on Apr 26, 2008 - 5 answers

(Oil Heat) - Getting a new oil burner / furnace. (1) How much should it cost, including installation, for a new oil furnace that's at least pretty good/efficient? (We've gotten one estimate, so far, for $10,000 (!) $11,000 for antifreeze pipe system.) What's the cost for the equipment vs cost of labor? (2) The $10K was for a System 2000. Is the System 2000 really that good? Anyone have one? How much did it cost? How much did it reduce your heating bills? [more inside]
posted by coffeefilter on Apr 2, 2008 - 6 answers

Home HVAC filter: Help us figure out if we're getting ripped off! We were quoted $800 for some HVAC work that needs to be done for finishing our basement; is this a reasonable amount? [more inside]
posted by crunchtopmuffin on Mar 12, 2008 - 3 answers

My forced hot air system has no return ducts. Instead, cool air falls directly into the basement, where there's a filtered intake on the side of the furnace. Are my life, health, and or selling prospects at severe risk? [more inside]
posted by a22lamia on Sep 20, 2007 - 9 answers

Ten-year old air conditioner, busted compressor. Get a new compressor, or replace the whole thing? [more inside]
posted by commander_cool on Aug 7, 2007 - 7 answers

Can anyone help or point me in the right direction as regards CA building codes in relation to server rooms and cooling or how do you accommodate this if you are too small to need the big company solution. [more inside]
posted by clarkie666 on Aug 3, 2007 - 8 answers

What form of energy is used to heat a Wal-Mart, Home Depot or Costo store, and how much does it cost per month in the winter? [more inside]
posted by colgate on Apr 8, 2007 - 12 answers

Last spring my husband and I noticed that a small puddle of water would form on the garage floor every time we used our central a/c for more than a few minutes. We had a local a/c guy come out and he told us the pan was leaking and needed to be replaced. He quoted us around $2,000 which I thought was extremely high considering he'd done the exact same job a year previously for our neighbor (who has the same model house and, incidentally, recommended this company) for $400. [more inside]
posted by LuckySeven~ on Mar 13, 2007 - 12 answers

Not-My-Walls-To-Cut-Through-Filter: Anyone have experience running Cat5 through HVAC ducts? [more inside]
posted by datacenter refugee on Jan 14, 2007 - 15 answers

I just moved into a house that I bought, and the heater makes this 700 square-foot house nice and toasty, but the timing seems off. First something comes on, it makes a humming, sounds like a motor, but no air is coming out yet....that goes on for a minute or two, then the igniter clicks on and glows for about a minute, then flames come on for 3-5 minutes, then the fan comes on and blows heat up throughout the house. Inspector said... [more inside]
posted by Salvatorparadise on Nov 11, 2006 - 9 answers

BrrrrrFilter: It's gotten cold here in Chicago and my heater appears to be broken. Google didn't help me much probably because my knowledge of HVAC is weak. Help me find out quickly if I'm being ripped off? [more inside]
posted by twiggy on Oct 13, 2006 - 15 answers

What can we do to get more air from the air conditioning (and the heat in the winter) to the back of the house? [more inside]
posted by winston on Jul 29, 2006 - 17 answers

8 unit condo in Jersey City needs an energy (HVAC, heating) consultant to look at our boiler and heating system and advise us on how to lower our heating bills. We are keen to consider green options but economy is the main criterion. Thank you for your recommendations and advice. [more inside]
posted by johoney on Jul 20, 2006 - 1 answer

I'm having three HVAC contractors come to my house tomorrow to give me estimates for replacing my gas furnace. What should I look for to identify a "reputable" contractor, and what questions should I ask? [more inside]
posted by gwenzel on Jul 17, 2006 - 10 answers

Home HVAC filter: a/c compressors... [more inside]
posted by stevejensen on Jul 23, 2005 - 5 answers

We had our furnace worked on by a local guy who has a good rep. We mentioned that our air condition had been icing up, and he said we should get the coils cleaned. $300. [more inside]
posted by mecran01 on Jun 15, 2005 - 3 answers

I've just been quoted $3000 to install a new outdoor heat pump unit and remove the old one. New thermostat included. Does that sound like a lot of money?
posted by jsavimbi on Jun 14, 2005 - 11 answers

Well, our new old apt (it's new to us, but it's old) has no range hood. Looks like the previous owner decided to make a HUGE pass through. What solutions/options do I have (besides some sort of bizaare way to hookup an ordinary rangehood). Do the somewhat reviled ionic breeze / ionic cleaners work well enough to clean the air? It's a 600 sq ft apt.
posted by eurasian on Dec 13, 2004 - 11 answers

We want to hang our pots and pans from the HVAC ductwork on our kitchen. We're thinking strong magnetic hooks. [mi] [more inside]
posted by MrMoonPie on Sep 28, 2004 - 4 answers

I need to install a window air conditioner in a casement window. (The kind that cranks open sideways, instead of sliding up and down) If you've ever done this, I would appreciate your thoughts. I do know I need to buy a special model AC.
posted by luser on Mar 3, 2004 - 4 answers

Which direction should I point the louvres from my heating/ac vents? [more inside]
posted by crawl on Feb 8, 2004 - 4 answers