Bob meets with the plumber to look at the air handler and then goes upstairs to check out a bathroom floor heated with radiant heat.

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Get a jump on the hot weather by making sure your room air conditioner s up to the challenge. Before you pull it out of storage, consider the age of your air conditioner. Efficiencies have improved so much that replacing an old clunker from the 70s with a new 10-seer unit could cut your cooling costs in half. Regardless of age, all units need maintenance every season and about once a month during the season. First, unplug the unit and see your manual for instructions on discharging the capacitors to avoid a shock. Dirt is your air conditioner s worst enemy. Clean out the drain ports with a length of wire. Vacuum the evaporator and condenser coils and gently straighten any bent fins with a fin comb, which you can get at most hardware or plumbing supply stores. Remove the filter and wash and dry it thoroughly or replace it with a new one if it s the disposable kind. Run the unit for a few minutes to see how it performs. If the fan s making noise, try tightening the blade s set screw as well as the bolts that hold the fan unit to its housing. If the power cord, switch or thermostat is worn or faulty, you can replace it without having to buy a new unit. The coils, compressor and motor are all sealed and should be repaired by a professional. On the bright side, if you do this check early, you won t be put on someone s waiting list in 90-degree heat! Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. Whether you re fighting cabin fever this winter by planning next season s garden or just looking for a good housewarming gift, a garden journal is a great tool. Find a binder you like, add section dividers and fill it with graph paper for garden diagrams, pockets for plant labels and receipts, album pages for garden photos and plenty of sheets for notes. Make up a checklist of the things you need to do each spring to clean up and prepare as well as a summer maintenance schedule. Research recommended plants for your area on your local extension service s web site and save magazine articles and clippings in a special section. There s nothing more frustrating in the garden than repeating your mistakes year after year! Keep three years worth of notes about what new plants you added, what did well, what died, what you added to the soil and what you did to get rid of those aphids. With a good garden plan and your notes and photos from last year, you can avoid doing extra work and buying things you don t need. And you can share your journal with an expert to get more specific advice. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008