Cleaning Dirty Ducts + Sheng Wang’s Bayou Childhood + Forced Air vs. Baseboard Heat
5/26/202650 min
A five-foot snake inside the ductwork?! This week on Radio Hour, we uncover the strange, dusty, and sometimes creepy world hiding inside your vents — and what actually happens during a duct cleaning. Comedian Sheng Wang takes us back to his packed suburban Houston childhood home, where 12 relatives shared one house and the neighborhood bayou became an endless adventure. Plus, House Therapy tackles a family battle over baseboard heat versus forced hot air, and we answer your questions about damaged cork floors, mysteriously heated tiles, rocky hillsides, and cracking plaster ceilings.
In This Episode You’ll Learn:
* How to repair shiny tape damage on cork flooring without refinishing the entire floor
* Whether warm floor tiles could mean leaking HVAC ducts beneath a slab foundation
* What plants can actually survive on a steep shale hillside with almost no soil
* What causes “alligator” cracking on old plaster ceilings and how to fix it
All of this, plus we’re answering your home improvement questions at 877-This Old House Radio Hour! — That’s (877) 864-7460.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJenn Largesse· Host0:00
[upbeat music] The air in your home is only as clean as what's hiding inside your walls. From LAist and APM American Public Media, it's This Old House Radio Hour. I'm Jen Lardjas. Find out what's lurking in your duct work and what it takes to clean them.
Tommy Hupsik· Guest0:15
We got a five-foot snake out of a duct two weeks ago.
Jenn Largesse· Host0:19
Comedian Sheng Wang takes us back to his suburban Houston home where 12 people lived under one roof.
Sheng Wang· Soundbite0:26
At one point, it was five of us, me, my parents, my sisters, all in one room. It was tight.
Jenn Largesse· Host0:31
House therapy is back. A Massachusetts family finally buys their dream home only to discover a new debate. Baseboard heat versus forced hot air. All of this, plus we're answering your home improvement questions at 877-864-7460. Coming up next. [upbeat music] It's This Old House Radio Hour. I'm Jen Lardjas. The most important system in your home may be the one you never see. Hidden behind your walls, your duct work circulates every breath you take. And most homeowners have no idea what's living inside. Today, Tommy Hupsick from Ducts of Delchester pulls back the vent covers to explain what clean air really means. So Tommy, aside from getting rid of the dust, what are the benefits of cleaning your ducts?
Tommy Hupsik· Guest1:28
Peace of mind is the biggest