Clear air,
explained for Somerville homes.
Practical guidance on ducts, dryer vents, chimneys and the air in homes across central Somerset County.
Why Cold Air Pours Out of an Old Fireplace
A fireplace that nobody lights can still pour cold air into a Somerville living room, and the damper is usually where the draft starts.
Can One Furnace Heat Both Sides of a Two-Family House
A landlord asking if one furnace could serve both apartments in a Raritan or Manville two-family runs straight into a separation rule built into New Jersey's residential code.
A Dryer Vent That Ends Under a Deck in Manville
Manville and Raritan have plenty of postwar houses where a dryer vent ends in a tight pocket under a deck, porch or stoop, a spot that traps lint and moisture instead of letting it clear.
A Dryer Vent Too Close to a Furnace Air Intake
A sidewall combustion air pipe and a dryer vent hood sometimes end up a few feet apart on the same wall, and that placement matters more than it looks.
Old Hand Damper in an Oil Burner's Flue Pipe
A flat plate with a handle sticking out of the flue pipe above an oil or gas appliance was built for coal or wood, not for a burner that runs on a timed draft.
A Heat Register in the Garage: Is It Allowed
A supply register or return grille cut into an attached garage wall shows up often in older Branchburg and Hillsborough houses, and New Jersey's code treats that connection as a safety issue rather than a design choice.
Rodent-Damaged Crawl Space Ducts in Franklin and Millstone
Older farmhouses and village houses in Franklin and Millstone often run ductwork through a crawl space or low cellar, and that is exactly where a mouse, squirrel or rat finds its way into a flex run or a boot.
New Apartment Ducts Near Somerville Station
A brand-new apartment near the Somerville train station can still carry drywall dust and sheet metal shavings in its ductwork, and a tenant has a different set of options than a homeowner does.
Does a Relined Chimney Still Need Sweeping
A new stainless liner solves a lot of old problems in a masonry flue, but it does not stop soot, creosote or debris from collecting, so the cleaning schedule stays the same.
What Is a Panned Joist Return, and Should It Be Replaced
A panned joist return turns the open space between two floor joists into return duct, a shortcut builders used for decades, and it carries its own set of problems in an older Somerville or Rocky Hill house.
Ducts in a Franklin Condo With a Closet Air Handler
A closet-mounted air handler puts the filter, blower and coil within arm's reach of a carpeted hallway, which changes how a duct cleaning visit gets set up and carried out.
Fiberglass Duct Board in 1980s Hillsborough Homes
A lot of Hillsborough and Franklin ductwork dates to the 1980s building boom, and much of it is fiberglass duct board rather than sheet metal, which changes what cleaning can and cannot do.
Cleaning Air Ducts Before Selling an Older Somerville Home
Somerville's older houses often carry ductwork added in rounds, and a buyer's inspector knows exactly where to look for it before the sale closes.
Cleaning a Factory-Built Metal Fireplace Flue
A prefabricated firebox vents through a listed metal pipe inside a framed chase, and that pipe calls for a different brush, a different pace and a different set of checks than a brick flue.
Owning a Two-Family in Manville, Raritan or Somerville: Ducts and Dryer Vents for Both Units
A two-family house doubles everything the owner has to keep an eye on, and the upstairs dryer vent, with its long run through the other unit, is the item most likely to be missed.
Adding or Fixing Ductwork in a Historic House in Millstone, Rocky Hill or Somerville
Old houses were built for fireplaces, stoves and radiators. Ducts can still reach every room of a historic Somerset County house through attics, closets and cellars, without cutting the plaster that makes it worth keeping.
Replacing the Original Furnace in a Hillsborough or Montgomery House? Check the Ducts First
The houses of Somerset County's building boom are on their first or second round of new equipment. The ductwork behind it usually stays, and it decides how well the new system works.
Ready for cleaner air?
Get a free estimate, 8 AM to 8 PM, 7 days a week.