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Your Home Guides
69 guidesThe house around your HVAC system: building science, insulation and air sealing, health and safety, and practical tips that make a home easier to keep comfortable.
MaintenanceWhy Do Your Ducts Pop or Bang When the Heat Comes On?Ducts that pop or tick when the heat comes on are usually metal parts warming up: the furnace cabinet and heat exchanger, the metal…
Health & SafetyWhy Is Your Carbon Monoxide Alarm Beeping or Chirping?Four loud beeps and a pause, repeating, usually means the alarm has detected carbon monoxide: get everyone outside and call 911. A single chirp…
Health & SafetyWhat Should You Do If You Smell Rotten Eggs Near Your Furnace or Water Heater?A rotten egg or sulfur smell near a furnace or water heater can mean a gas leak. Get everyone out right away, and don't…
Health & SafetyAre Space Heaters Safe to Use Alongside Central Heat?Yes, if you follow the CPSC's basics: keep an electric space heater at least 3 feet from anything that can burn, plug it straight…
MaintenancePre-Winter HVAC Checklist for Central Texas HomesIn Austin, get your heater ready in early to mid October: change the filter, test-run the heat, clear the outdoor unit, test smoke and…
Tips & TricksWhy Does the Thermostat Say Heat Is On but Nothing Happens?When the thermostat says Heat is on but nothing happens, the system is often just waiting: many thermostats pause a few minutes before starting,…
Humidity & Moisture ControlWhy Do Your Windows Sweat, and Is It a Problem?Windows sweat when the glass is colder than the dew point of the air touching it. In Austin, outside fogging on muggy mornings is…
VentilationDoes a Bathroom Exhaust Fan Need to Vent Outside?Yes. A bathroom exhaust fan should be ducted all the way outdoors through a roof or wall cap with a damper flap. The residential…
Ductwork & Air FlowHow Do You Increase Airflow to One Room?Start with free checks: the register fully open and unblocked, a clean filter, and a path for air back to the return (compare the…
Health & SafetyCan a Dirty Air Conditioner Make You Sick?A dirty AC doesn't create germs on its own, but it can recirculate dust and, if the coil, drain pan or ducts stay wet,…
Health & SafetyWhere Should CO Detectors Go in a Home With a Gas Furnace?Put a carbon monoxide alarm on every level of the home and outside each sleeping area, as CPSC and NFPA recommend. With a gas…
Health & SafetyCan an Air Conditioner Produce Carbon Monoxide?No. A central air conditioner or heat pump runs on electricity and burns no fuel, so it cannot make carbon monoxide. CO comes from…
