I live in rented accommodation in the UK. The hot water is scaldingly hot. The radiators burn to touch. The shower temperature is hugely unreliable -- scalding or freezing. The landlord is worried that a plumber will rip him off, based on bad experiences in the past, and unwilling to pay to investigate.
Can you help me understand what's going on? I'd like to put my landlord's mind at rest regarding plumbers, and set his expectations regarding likely diagnoses and solutions -- and hence cost.
I also suspect this situation is wasting energy and hence driving up the cost of heating bills. I'd like to persuade the landlord that fixing it might be a good idea.
[more inside]
posted by ajp
on Apr 12, 2013 -
23 answers
Hi I am house sitting and Nemo is bearing down on us. I have a oil furnace in the basement. If the power goes out, then comes back, or I use the generator, are there any specific steps I need to take with the furnace?
What about water valves, etc?
Thanks much!
posted by spacefire
on Feb 8, 2013 -
6 answers
My electric heat pump is
icing over something fierce, and the technicians don't really have a clue what's going on. There is one theory I'd like you to comment on, and if it makes no sense, I'd appreciate alternate theories.
[more inside]
posted by Stewriffic
on Jan 26, 2013 -
13 answers
Our home in Seattle contains a dozen or so electric heaters. We would like to get rid of these and upgrade to something more efficient/attractive/economical.
It seems our two options are 1) Central gas heating or 2) ductless heat pump.
To make gas heating work, we would have to install ducts. Does anyone have any experience with adding ducts to a ductless house? One possibility that has been suggested is to put the ducts on the outside of one side of the house. This would probably work in our case since all of the large rooms in our house share a common wall.
What are your thoughts/experiences with installing either gas heating with new ducts or ductless heat pump heating? I'm assuming that central gas would work just fine in a Seattle winter but I'm not sure if a ductless heat pump system would be adequate in the winter ( considering that our hope is to replace - not just augment - the existing system ).
posted by metadave
on Jan 21, 2013 -
14 answers
I'm paying $3.79/gallon for heating oil in Westchester county, NY. Is that a reasonably ok price? If not, can anyone recommend another supplier (I'm using Castle).
posted by Quisp Lover
on Jan 17, 2013 -
7 answers
Getting a draft despite having weather stripping and a door sweep. How can I fix this?
[more inside]
posted by asnider
on Jan 1, 2013 -
12 answers
Does anyone have experience with, or know how to, switch radiators between two different rooms in the same apartment (in NYC)?
[more inside]
posted by NYC-BB
on Dec 26, 2012 -
9 answers
At what temperature do people set their thermostats if they live in Arctic climates, such as Barrow, Alaska? My mother wants to know.
[more inside]
posted by aabbbiee
on Dec 12, 2012 -
16 answers
UKTenantFilter: My heating broke on friday at 2pm. The landlord turned up at 4 but didn't fix it then because he 'wanted daylight to work on it'. Today (saturday) he said it couldn't be fixed because it needed a new fuse and 'nowhere that was open had one' - so we have to wait until Monday.
[more inside]
posted by fearnothing
on Dec 1, 2012 -
4 answers
Why are there forced air heating vents in the second floor of my small rowhouse? Won't the hot air just head upstairs and even it all out?
[more inside]
posted by kinsey
on Nov 18, 2012 -
8 answers
In my flat here in the UK I have four electric storage heaters that are kaput. What electric heating should I replace them with?
[more inside]
posted by Brian Lux
on Oct 17, 2012 -
6 answers
Is it worth it to use space heaters (instead of the built-in baseboard heaters) to keep warm this winter? If so, how?
[more inside]
posted by CutaneousRabbit
on Aug 28, 2012 -
12 answers
I haven't even turned the heat on yet and my gas bill is already as high as it was last winter. WTF?
[more inside]
posted by mskyle
on Aug 22, 2012 -
13 answers
Is there a sensor device or thermostat setup that can inexpensively switch on a fan based on the difference between two temperature points (one inside, one outside)?
[more inside]
posted by BleachBypass
on Jun 21, 2012 -
13 answers
Different Central air conditioner and furnace brands? When it comes to HVAC, should we go with Carrier, Goodman, York, or Lennox?
[more inside]
posted by exhilaration
on Jun 7, 2012 -
15 answers
Just replaced a 50-year-old tar/gravel roof with white shingles. This is in Florida. But now the house is hothothot, heat keeps rising, air-conditioner runs constantly but can't keep up! It's just after noon and 84 degrees in here! The roof is low-hip, the attic is a crawl space insulated to about R-30, there's a turbine on the roof and three passive vents. Still hot! Depressing after writing such a big check. Capable roofer says previous thick layer of tar/gravel probably insulated a lot. But now what's my next step? 1. Would a white latex coating be more cost-effective than a solar-powered vent? 2. Any other suggestions? Whew, and thanks!
posted by fivesavagepalms
on Apr 28, 2012 -
16 answers
I have air conditioning vents in the floor at the side of the room. The vents can be angled in different directions. If I put a large dresser against the wall, above a vent, with clearance of a few inches, will it be substantially detrimental to heating/cooling?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94
on Mar 26, 2012 -
8 answers
Seattle: *urgent* need for a plumbing/heating maintenance today or this weekend for the in-floor heating of my townhome. Haven't had heat since apparently Wednesday night, and the company that installed it is non-responsive to my repeated calls.
[more inside]
posted by hincandenza
on Jan 27, 2012 -
8 answers
What are the advantages to a newer modern gas furnace heating system vs. a 35~ year oldish pilot-light gas system?
[more inside]
posted by Bodrik
on Jan 11, 2012 -
9 answers
Anybody have ideas for a how to partition our living room from our kitchen to conserve heat/energy? But in a cheap yet stylish way? Opening between the two rooms is about 10-14 feet wide (image a normal doorway about seven times the width, maybe the size of a small garage door)
[more inside]
posted by The ____ of Justice
on Dec 14, 2011 -
12 answers
Converting my home from fuel oil to natural gas heating - how to do it? My 1890s house is heated with radiators and run on fuel oil - which has been steadily getting more and more expensive. I have natural gas already running to the house for appliances and water heating.
[more inside]
posted by waylaid
on Nov 2, 2011 -
13 answers
How do I use a programmable thermostat/heater efficiently in the winter? Specifically, how cold should I let it get when no one is home?
[more inside]
posted by andrewesque
on Oct 24, 2011 -
9 answers
How bad is it to stick out the winter with my house's ridiculously old heating system?
[more inside]
posted by zvs
on Sep 18, 2011 -
14 answers
I'm about to sign a lease on a commercial space that has radiator heating. The landlord wants us to pay one third of the heating costs for the building, as the space takes up the ground floor of a three story building.
At first this seemed logical to me, then I thought about it a bit...
[more inside]
posted by newpotato
on Apr 26, 2011 -
12 answers
Are there any laws that require landlords to provide efficient or modern heating units for tenants?
[more inside]
posted by waywardgirl
on Mar 27, 2011 -
10 answers
We've just moved into an old house in the South of the UK. The oil-fired boiler is in desperate need of replacement. No mains gas is available. I'm interested in air source heat pumps, what advice can you offer me?
[more inside]
posted by grahamspankee
on Mar 22, 2011 -
4 answers
How can I reconfigure my Goodman GmH950703Bx furnace so that it doesn't blow all the time?
[more inside]
posted by ChrisR
on Feb 23, 2011 -
3 answers
I live in an old apartment with radiators. Pipe in kitchen (radiator has been removed, heated pipe remains) has a leaky valve that smells awful. Can someone take a look at these pictures and tell me if there is anything I can do to cover the leaky bit and reduce the smell?
[more inside]
posted by raztaj
on Jan 6, 2011 -
10 answers
What is the legal way to record room temperature? I need to sue landlord for not heating the apartment.
[more inside]
posted by zavulon
on Dec 17, 2010 -
32 answers
When giving home-buying advice, I regularly point out that there's likely going to be at least one Major Traumatic and Unexpected Expense. And now, I have mine! Specifically: I need a new gas boiler. Current boiler is approaching 3 decades and would cost approx. $2000 to repair, thanks to everything wrong with it. The salesman comes Thursday. Any advice about brands? What burning (no pun intended) questions do I need to ask? I'm in upstate NY, and the house is just under 2200 sq. ft. with three zones.
posted by thomas j wise
on Dec 7, 2010 -
2 answers
Brrr! It's getting cold, and I'm getting tied up trying to research heaters... Hope me, AskMe!
[more inside]
posted by benzo8
on Nov 17, 2010 -
12 answers
My apartment's back exit has a windowed door (similar to
this, although it's only a single door) and no storm door. It's drafty and I'd like to insulate it as much as I can,
sans all but the most rudimentary carpentry skills. What's my best temporary solution?
[more inside]
posted by Knicke
on Nov 10, 2010 -
10 answers
Are standalone Heater-Fans/Oil-Filled heaters more efficient (electricity wise) than electric baseboards?
[more inside]
posted by porpoise
on Nov 7, 2010 -
17 answers
I live in the Maryland suburbs of DC, and I recently bought a old house here (Mt Rainier). The house is heated with radiators and heating oil, and I need to refill the oil (there was only about 5 gallons left from the seller). Any suggestions on where and who to have refill the oil? It's my first time doing this.
posted by waylaid
on Oct 18, 2010 -
9 answers
Comparison of carbon reduction/energy efficiency/ cost-benefit of rain water tanks V solar heating V waste water reclamation?
[more inside]
posted by parryb
on Oct 17, 2010 -
4 answers
I have an art studo that is going to get extremely cold during this winter but I need to keep using it. It's in an old factory, concrete walls and floor, relatively high ceilings (great in summer, not so in winter). I know that I will need to insulate as much as possible - windows, stop drafts etc - but I'm unsure about the best way to heat it once it is suitably closed up.
[more inside]
posted by halcorp
on Oct 12, 2010 -
21 answers
Can you help me decide if I should buy into our home heating oil co's price cap program?
[more inside]
posted by cestmoi15
on Sep 11, 2010 -
8 answers
I have to keep calling my apartment manager in to repair the HVAC (heating and air conditioning) unit every few months. This can't be right. I know YANMRP (you are not my repair-person) but I wonder what could be going on and what I can do about it.
[more inside]
posted by Rosie M. Banks
on Sep 1, 2010 -
12 answers
What is a fair way to estimate, over an entire year, the proportion of an electrical bill that is being used for electrical heating? (
Previously)
[more inside]
posted by porpoise
on Jul 6, 2010 -
8 answers
