Hey Mark: My wife and I recently had a home built for us in November of 2008.  We have noticed that our master bedroom is very cold in the winter and extremely hot in the summer even with the air conditioning turned down to 70 degrees.  The bedroom is right above the garage.  I guess [...]

Filed under: Heating and Air Conditionining, Insulation | 3 Comments »

Q. Hey Mark, I’m in the process of buying a house and just had a home inspection done. One item that the home inspector itemized in the report is the water heater in the garage. He said that it shouldn’t be installed on the floor of the garage. Where else could it be installed? I [...]

Filed under: Water Heater | 2 Comments »

Q. Hey Mark, Our home inspection report recommends a catch pan under the washing machine. What exactly is that and how do I get one? Thanks, Andrew A. Hey Andrew, Recommending a catch pan under a washing machine is a common recommendation with some home inspectors. Some municipalities even require it in certain circumstances. Personally, [...]

Filed under: Appliances, Buyer's Inspection, Home Inspector, Water Heater, floodstop | Comments Off

Q. Hey Mark, Yesterday someone asked me if they could use “flex line”, like what is used for toilets and under sinks, to connect a gas or electric water heater in his home. What do you think? Fred O.   A. Hey Fred, I’m not sure what the code officials would say about it, but [...]

Filed under: Plumbing, Water Heater | 3 Comments »