Recent content by Hondo123

So I wonder - is there any way to test to determine if an overhead tile has asbestos? I would like to refinish our basement, but our building inspector (when we bought the place) said the ceiling tile might contain asbestos. I'd like to know for sure if there's some easy way - such as test kit...

Not yet. If you expected me to "spring to action" and start cutting holes in my floor and ceiling, the answer is, "No". The most pressing problem in front of me at this moment is getting seven solid wood interior doors installed on the main floor. These are custom doors, so I needed a good...

Not as interesting as you may believe. Millions of houses have basements where cold air sinks, and that's where it stays. It seems the current solution is pretty Neanderthal - adjust vents or pump more cold air into the space. I'd like to use what I have more efficiently.

The registers are closed, and the door stays shut. That was the first (and most obvious) solution I tried. Aside from mastic on the ductwork, is there anything to be gained by insulating the ductwork? Yes, I do have roof vents and a thermostat controlled fan to move the heat at the peak...

I would agree that the air going to the upper rooms is not what it should be, and one room does in fact have two registers, but again, the problem is not a hot top floor - it's a hot top floor AND a cold basement. I think in terms of overall BTU, the total home is getting enough cold air - it's...

A good thought, however we do have a door at the top of the stairs, and we do keep it closed nearly all the time. Didn't know about duct booster fans, but might consider it. We have Energy Star rated windows where the sum comes in on the two large ground floor bay windows, so sunlight heat is...

You might also check out Tumbleweed Houses, as they are starting to gain some grass roots traction down here in the states, and they have some tremedously practical small home designs that would probably suit your budget. Their smallest homes can actually be built on a trailer and hauled around...

A second themostat will do nothing more than cause the A/C to run continuously as it tries to cool the top floor. The cooling is not a problem. The problem is I have a large pool of over-cool air sitting in my basement (probably "ponding" from the rest of the house) and a hot second floor (or...

I have a cape cod built in '67 with central air and aluminum forced air ducting. It appears the previous homeowner added some insulation to the roof. However in the summer, the second floor continues to get warm and stuffy even with all the registers wide open, while our basement is morgue...