Home Improvement Today?

It’s blue, but the flame touches the log above it, it’s about 3” long, and it’s loud enough you can hear it. I checked the manual and it is all placed properly. Fireplace company says it’s fine but I’m still skeptical.

 

Blue is good but it should not be 3 inches long. Maybe half that. If I get close to mine I can hear but not if I'm more than a few feet away. Here's mine, the pilot is less than an inch

 

Genuine question. Why do people put in heat pumps vs traditional furnace?

I saw them here and there when I was in the market for a home.

 

Here is mine. It is all blue but the end of that flame touches the logs.

 

was this weekend but we got busy before the rains hit this week. Chopped down a tree that should never have grown to the size it did. Also pulled out the ugly bushes in the front.






Also swapped out my 1973 Zinsco electrical panel to a new one. Gotta separate some of the house this coming weekend as its overloaded as is and the previous owner added another fuse panel that used buss fuses. I want to completely rule that out one and have it all in one panel.

 

If the house doesn't have gas service, I assume it would need to use heat pump.

 

Can depend on what fuel is available in an area, and how expensive that fuel is. Also the climate and typical winter temperatures can have an effect on what will perform best. Since they pull heat from the ambient air and transfer that heat indoors, the lower the outside temperature the lower capacity for heating they have. Some will have a backup supplemental electric heating coil to help boost output when temperature get too low for the heat pump to keep up on its own.

Up here our electricity costs are very high compared to natural gas so you don’t see heat pumps hardly at all. But if you’ve got cheap electricity or mild winters they can be a good option.

 

Is there a little set screw or something you can dial back the fuel or air a little? Looks like its burning good and hot but just too much air or fuel

 

Theyre really efficient. A lot of people have them up here as supplemental heat to lower their oil bill.

They also doing heating and cooling in one unit. Central AC doesn't really exist up here, so thats attractive to a lot of people.

The goverment has also offered a lot of rebates on them.

 

Yes... There is one screw on the valve labeled pilot, but it does not do anything at all.

 

Damn that seems like it is the problem

 

So I've been doing some research and have been finding a lot of conflicting information when it comes to insulating walls in an old home.

Here is my situation:
I've gutted the kitchen in my house, it's a timber frame with 6x6 sills on a rubble foundation and dirt floor that's a few inches below the joists. I had to replace one of the sills due to rot, and have upgraded the floor framing to 2x8s 12" OC. Moisture is not an issue anymore under the floor, the rotted sill was very dry.

There is one exterior wall, 2x4 rough sawn with no prior insulation. The wall structure is 2x4/1x T&G original sheathing/OSB sheathing/tyvek/vinyl siding.

I've heard don't insulate the walls b/c of moisture issues, insulate with VB between drywall and insulation, and just insulate and drywall.

I'm in the fingerlakes region of NY climate zone 5. Going to insulate between the floor joists and in the attic, but torn on what to do in the wall. It's a nearly 140 year old house, so I don't want to create an issue where there hasn't been one before.

 

I am in the same area and I would insulate the wall. Not sure what others will suggest, but I am planning on replacing old fiberglass in an exterior bathroom wall with closed cell spray foam when I remodel.

 

I think because there is tyvek on the outside I'd be ok insulating it. Seems like issues arise with the old clapboard siding, where bulk water wets the structure from the outside, and the insulation stays damp/prevents interior heat from drying everything out.

 

I would insulate and vapour barrier , you could use Roxul to up the R value abit

 

Guys, need some advice here. An elderly friend of mine had a door (non operating) installed in his house and the contractor just cut the opening and put the door panel in.
How do I go about flashing this? The outside siding is vertical hardie type board.
Here is a picture of said door panel.

He bought the house of a 'friend' as an unfinished renovation and I got involved to help unravel the electrical debauchery.
Without knowing all the details of how this got to this point; I feel that he has been taking advantage of. I just want to get his place buttoned up properly and his electrical sorted, which I've almost done.

Anyway, any guidance would be appreciated

 

@jwctaco ?

 

I would use some water proof membrane and flash an L shape the best you can. Then put some trim board or casing over the membrane , then a metal drip cap on top. It looks like it was done all wrong. All of the membrane should of gone on first. Usually a door or window has the trim already installed on the unit.

 

Do I need to cut into the hardie board above the door to get the cap into the board. Like a small, maybe 1/8" cut so that the cap has somewhere to nest with chalk in the groove?