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Tankless Hot Water Heater

Chris Vila meets with Jack Frederick from Frederick/Gerahty to review the hot water heater. The Continuum unit from Rinnai is an instant-on unit that employs no holding tank. Water is heated on demand when the user opens the hot water tap. The unit senses the moving water and heats only what is needed and shuts down when the tap is shut off. This unit has remote sensors that can be programmed with maximum water temperatures to prevent scalding. Since the unit produces no �standing� hot water, it can be up to 70 percent more efficient than a standard hot water heater. The Continuum can produce up to 8.5 gallons of hot water per minute continuously so the homeowner never needs to worry about running out of hot water. Rinnai also uses a direct-vent system making it friendlier in today�s tightly sealed homes.

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Decorative Support Columns on the Modular Home

Tour of the Gardens at The Mount Now Playing

Tour of the Gardens at The Mount

Modular Home Front Porch Now Playing

Modular Home Front Porch

Reviewing the Modular Home's Exterior Now Playing

Reviewing the Modular Home's Exterior

Tankless Hot Water Heater Now Playing

Tankless Hot Water Heater

Multi-Zone HVAC System Now Playing

Multi-Zone HVAC System

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Cultured Stone® Rear Facade on Modular Home

Clip Transcript For:

Tankless Hot Water Heater

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" Jack what exactly is -- when he is water heater. Well Chris this is the continuum water heater manufactured -- nine. On this water heater will not make. Hot water it will consume no gas unless there is a demand for hot water when the consumer opens the hot water tap the unit starts it produces the amount of hot water required -- burns only the amount a gas necessary to heat that amount -- water. And delivers it to the consumer as long as they have a demand so efficiency -- huge issue here absolutely there's no sense making hot water unless the tap is open so we don't and you can save as much as 70% on your hot water bill by converting to test your water. Absolutely. Now you've got these control panels you can put up to three -- throughout the house we can run up to three of the touch pad controls you can -- one in the laundry or the kitchen area. And then you can vote one in the master bath. Or in the secondary -- as -- safety safeguard as -- certainly this will prevent -- so it allows you to set the absolute temperature that you require for your hot water -- you're filling a bath you're going to be that a 10405. Degrees senate panel for. Open the capital deliver the water temperature you want. If you're bathing the children. -- bit cooler temperature and it eliminates the scalding. Issues that are prevalent -- very high high temperatures and anchor -- tank type water here. The way this operates is that we have a cold water coming in on the bottom of the unit it feeds through the cold water valve and the water then travels around. We have the electronics that control the operation of the unit we have our gas valve mounted here. We ever reduce -- motors -- are so our combustion air comes down through here it's Fed and we mix the air and the gas in the chamber we then have the burner right here in this is the heat exchanger and misses the copper tubing that the water flows through. So we're heating the water in this pipe and comes down through the back and comes out through the hot water line where it then goes to the house. Now what exactly -- we wouldn't have here is the -- that's the vent system. And it's another one of the unique features of the for night and that it's a sealed combustion direct -- system we bring outdoor air for combustion through the outer pipe and we exhaust the hot flue gases through the center right so that actually helps us on the efficiency side -- I think and it takes no indoor air for combustion that's an important features and today's home construction as tightly as we build homes that's very nice feature prosperous well thank you very much it's my pleasure thank you."

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Bob meets with Tim Woods in the 3rd floor office. Tim shows us the Panasonic PBX phone system which is ideal for a home business with conference call, paging, and intercom capabilities from anywhere in the house. The Web-based cam is another useful feature that allows the homeowner to monitor a room through a Web site accessible from anywhere in the world. Tim also explains that the homeowner's laptop has a wireless networking card from Cisco Systems, allowing wireless in-home internet access. The laptop also has a 64MB Secure Digital (SD) card reader that downloads music onto a card, which can then be played in the homeowner's car. Finally, Tim shows Bob the Panasonic Iris scanner. The Iris scanner interfaces with the homeowner's computer system allowing secure access to computer files.

Saving Electricity and Protecting Electronics in the Home

Damon Markowski from Leviton shows Bob the dimmers that have been installed to control light levels and save power. Leviton has also provided a built-in surge pression module that protects all of the electronic components of the home, including the cable television and phone, from damaging power surges.

Spring Cleaning Tools and Tips

Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. Even if you re diligent about cleaning year-round, when winter s over there s always another reason to roll up your sleeves. But you can make spring cleaning less of an onerous chore if you use the right tools. Here are some suggestions. Get a year s worth of grime and mildew off your deck and your home s exterior in a few hours by using a pressure washer and an oxygen-based bleach solution or natural cleanser. For windows, a solution of white vinegar and water is as good a cleaner as any, and old newspapers make great lint-free window wipes. Finish the outside with some rain protectant made for car windshields and lengthen the time between cleanings. There s nothing better than a long-handled ostrich feather duster for getting rid of cobwebs and dusting those trim details up high that you never think about. A damp cloth with a little vegetable oil will work on wood surfaces. Microfiber dustcloths work on any surface, especially electronics. For cleaning lampshades and popcorn ceilings, use a lint roller. Rubber gloves will rub pet hair off the upholstery. And white cotton gloves, one wet and one dry, can help you clean the chandelier. Mop hard floors with a good self-wringing string head mop; save the sponge mop or disposable cleaning pad type for lighter everyday jobs or laminate floors. If you have wall-to-wall carpet, a steam cleaner s a great tool to have. While it might not seem like a cleaning tool, using a timer will keep you from burning out or getting sidetracked as you work. And a rolling cart to store and haul your tools will lighten your load during spring cleaning and beyond. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Installing the Whole House Electrical Surge Protector and Arc Detector

Barry Driscoll is in the basement installing a state-of-the-art surge protector from Square D. Barry hooks up a main surge protector for the whole house that will take care of all the appliances, electronics, and anything else that could be damaged. It also protects the telephones and cable TV that run throughout the house. This eliminates the need for individual surge protectors on separate appliances. This can be installed in a retrofit as well as in new construction. Barry is also installing an arc fault detector. These units that are now required by the new national electrical code for branch circuits in bedrooms protect against fires from arcing caused by damaged wires (if you hit a wire while hanging a picture), deteriorating electrical insulation, stressed electrical cords, or misapplied or damaged appliance use. The arc detector was designed to detect overloads, short circuits and arc faults and open the circuit and stop the arc fault and its high intensity heat before a fire is likely to ignite.