Q. I live on the west coast (California) and I don't know of anyone out here that uses oil to heat their homes. We use electricity and natural gas.

A. Oil and propane are big in northern N.Y. heating oil is more or less kerosene or oil not quite as refined as kerosene

Q. So When installing ceramic tile, (ours is going to be porceline) is it best to put the heating system ounderneath? Do you really need it. I keep telling my parents to put it and they aren't sure we really need it. I told them how my friend had it in her sunroom and they ended up pulling it all out a few years after to re-do it with the heating system underneath. What do you guys think? Also who would be installing it? Do you get an electrition or does the ceramic floor installer do it? Thanks! I'm sorry I didnt word that correctly...my friend had ceramic in her sunroom without the heating system and they pulled all the ceramics out afew years after to re-do it with the heating system because they said it was too cold all the time..thats what im worried about..is it really cold all the time on the feet..I felt the ceramic tile we have piled ready to be installed and it doesn't feel too cold, what do you think?

A. I would think that in most climates it wouldn't be absolutely necessary to have floor heating if your house has an alternate source of heat. I don't have heat under my tile floors.They do stay cool but shoes or socks remedy that. Another thing to consider is the heating cost. We had marble floors in the home I grew up in and it was heated. The cost of heating the floor is very expensive. Like I said it just depends on the climate. If you live in a very cold climate you may want to go ahead and install it but otherwise it's really not necassary. God bless!!

Q. And how exactly do i clean it?

A. If your dryer is not heating now it will more than likely be the heating element is burnt out.When changing the element it is a good time to clean it out good because you will have it apart.if you hire someone to do it they should clean it at that time.

Q. How long should it take a water heater to reheat? And, if a water heater is not working... what are some steps to take?

A. Rule of thumb is a half an hour from cold to hot for a standard 55-gal water heater. If it does not heat, have someone who knows how to use a multimeter test the heating elements and the thermostats (one each located at the top and bottom). If they are not registering 120 volts, then they have to be replaced. To replace the heating elements, the heater has to be shut off and drained. the heating elements shoud (most models) be able to be threaded out. Thread the new one in and make your electrical connections. thermostats come with schematics and instructions on the packaging.

Q. I'm having 4 zones (from 1) installed in my house which has a mono flow heating system. Plus, he he installing a new boiler with indirect water heater. Other than the manufacturer's warranties on the equipment, how long should his zoning work be warrantied? Thanks.

A. Industry standard is one year.

Q. I am considering installing a heating system while designing a new house with some greener & cost efficient building materials. And I'm gathering info on people with some knowledge here before goggling on until my but is tired. Any help is dearly appreciated. Wikipedia... An Ondol, also called Gudeul, in Korean traditional architecture, is underfloor heating which utilizes direct heat transfer from wood smoke to the underside of a thick masonry floor. In modern usage it refers to any type of underfloor heating, or a hotel or sleeping room in Korean (as opposed to Western) style.

A. In ancient roman cultures it was called a hypocaust. It is not very efficient, it is labor intensive, slow to heat and harder to moderate temperatures. In essence, it is a relatively energy wasteful system compared to more easily moderated systems. The two biggest downsides to the system are that the rooms nearest the central fires will be the hottest and the other is that it usually required a gang of slaves to operate.

Q. One of our dog peed inside the heating duct and i've been cleaning it all motn starting from january, but i didn't know he peed there again, i scrub the vent as far as i could go but theres still odour inside. I hate the odour and our house smells like dog pee, and 6 of our relatives is going to come and visit with 3 of their friends and it's embarassing our house smells like dog pee . How do you get rid of dog urine odour inside the heating vent on the floor ?? i don't know where else to ask, i know my friend told me about home depot- that they had an advertisement about cleaning dog urine out of heating vent but im not so sure if there is still cause that was long time ago. SOOO PLEASE ANSWER ??? WHAT'S THE BEST SOLUTION TO REMOVE DOG URINE ODOUR IN SIDE HEATING VENT ?? -- I TRIED - LYSOL - HOT WATER -FEBREEZE-WOOLITE- NOTHING WORKS IT MADE IT WORST .... HELPP ??

A. How about a carpet pet stain remover? gotta be formulated to handle the job, right? use any kind of scrubber you've got with a handle that will fit down the hole in order to reach further into the duct. use that same stick to help you dry it when you're done. then I might try leaving a little baking soda down there for good measure...I wouldn't expect your air conditioner to blow hard enough to send out a dust cloud (mine doesn't) but you be the judge on that one.

A. Tankless is better. Your only heating water you use instead of heating same water over and over. Also when drawing water from hot water tank it's being replaced with cold water cooling down water you already heated.